Sometimes you need to share PDFs that contain sensitive information like social security data or credit card numbers. If you need to blackout or erase personal data in a PDF, use PDF Expert. Trusted by 30 million users and awarded by Apple, it’s a go-to PDF app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It features a powerful PDF redaction tool to protect your confidential information.
How to redact a PDF on Mac
- Download PDF Expert for free.
- Click Edit on the toolbar.
- Pick the Redact tool.
- Select the text you want to redact in a PDF. There are two options: blackout or erase.
The Blackout option removes the selected sensitive content and puts a black box in its place, just like that:
The Erase option burns out the selected text and leaves an empty space in its place.
Both tools permanently delete the selected content from your PDF, so nobody can see it, even you!
How to blackout words on a PDF?
If you want to blackout specific words in your lengthy PDF, PDF Expert will easily find them and place a black box over them, ensuring they’re not visible. Here’s how to blackout words on a PDF:
- Open PDF Expert.
- Click Edit on the toolbar.
- Pick the Redact tool.
- Select the Blackout option and click Find and Redact… to use the search bar and search for specific words.
- Then simply highlight the word you want to redact in your PDF, and PDF Expert will permanently blackout it.
But what if you want to redact the same words throughout the whole PDF?
How to redact data across the entire PDF
You can also find and redact specific words across the entire document. This is a huge times saver! For example, instead of manually looking for and hiding sensitive numbers in a lengthy contract, you can redact them all in a few seconds:
- Click Edit > Redact in PDF Expert.
- Select Find and Redact on the sidebar.
- Type the word or number you want to hide.
- Click Blackout All or Erase All.
That’s it! Your personal data is protected, so you can confidently share this PDF file.
When do you need to remove sensitive content from a PDF?
When you’re sharing documents that contain personal or confidential information, it’s always recommended to remove this sensitive content from a PDF before sending it. Sensitive information that should be redacted includes:
- Social security numbers
- Credit card details
- Personal addresses
- Medical records
- Legal case documents details
- Contracts details
A redacted PDF protects both you and the recipients from potential data breaches and identity theft.
How to make sure redacted content is removed from PDF?
Whether you choose the blackout or erase tool in PDF Expert’s redact toolkit, you can be sure that the redacted content is permanently deleted, and the receiver won’t be able to retrieve it.
However, here’s how you can double-check that the redacted content is completely removed and not just hidden:
- Save the document after redacting it to apply the changes.
- Reopen the document and use the search bar to look for the words or phrases you intended to redact. If you missed something, make sure to repeat the redaction steps mentioned above.
- Try opening your PDF in Preview to see how it appears to others.
Best practices for redacting PDFs
In addition to everything we’ve mentioned above, here’s how to ensure the highest level of security when redacting PDFs:
- Always, always, always double-check. After redacting, search the document for the redacted words and review it to ensure no sensitive information has been missed.
- Password-protect your file. If you want maximum security, add password protection to your PDF after redacting it. This will ensure that only authorized individuals can access your PDF.
- Keep a backup of the original document. When saving a redacted PDF, opt for the Save As… option instead of Save. This way, you will create a new document while keeping a copy of the original one for future reference.
- Save a redacted PDF under a new name. Rename the newly redacted PDF to distinguish between the original and the redacted version and avoid accidentally sending the wrong file.
- Use a secure PDF editor. Choose a trusted tool like PDF Expert that guarantees complete removal of redacted content and protects your sensitive data.
If you're looking for a way to redact a PDF on Mac, PDF Expert offers the best PDF redaction tool on the platform. It also can help you with any task, from editing and signing to merging and password-protecting PDFs.