PDF Redaction Verifier
Checks whether a "redacted" PDF actually removed the hidden text, or just drew a black box over it — and shows you exactly what's still exposed.
Drop a PDF here to check its redactions
or
Checks the file's actual content against its own drawn boxes — not just how it looks.
Your file is analyzed and then deleted — never stored, never shared. The scan itself is completely free, no account needed.
Drawing a black box over a line in a PDF editor doesn't remove what's underneath it - the original text is usually still sitting in the file, byte for byte, ready to be copy-pasted or found with a search the moment someone deletes the box in an editor. This tool actually renders every page's own drawn shapes against its own extracted text and tells you, plainly, whether anything is really hidden underneath - and shows you the exact exposed text so there's no doubt. It also catches a second, less obvious failure: a PDF redaction mark that was placed but never actually applied.
How to use this tool
- Upload the PDF you want checked - the scan is free and needs no account.
- Review each flagged spot, including the actual text this tool found still hiding underneath the box.
- Choose which ones to fix for real, sign in, and download a copy where that content is genuinely gone - not just covered up.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from just looking at the black box myself?
A black box looks the same whether the text underneath was actually deleted or just covered up - you can't tell by looking. This tool checks the file's actual content, not its appearance, and shows you the real text if anything is still there.
Does "fixing" it just draw a better black box?
No - the fix uses the same official redaction mechanism a proper desktop redaction tool uses to genuinely delete the underlying text, vector art, and image pixels under the box from the file, not merely draw over it again.
Is scanning my PDF free?
Yes - checking a PDF for failed redactions costs nothing and needs no account. Only downloading the file with the exposed content actually removed is charged, and your first fix on this site is free.
How to use Redaction Verifier
How to check that redacted text is really removed from a PDF – step by step
Drawing a black box over a line in a PDF does not always delete the text underneath - it can still be copied or found by search. Redaction Verifier checks the file's actual content against its drawn boxes, shows you any text that is still hidden under them and removes it for good.
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Drop your redacted PDF
Drag the PDF with the black boxes onto the upload box or press Browse for a file. The check is free and needs no account.
Step 1: Drop your redacted PDF -
Read what is still exposed
Each finding shows the page and the exact text that is still readable under a black box, so there is no doubt about the risk.
Step 2: Read what is still exposed -
Press Fix Selected
Keep the findings you want fixed ticked and press the fix button. The text underneath is removed for real, not just covered.
Step 3: Press Fix Selected -
Download the safe PDF
Press Download and share only this copy. Keep the original private.
Step 4: Download the safe PDF
Quick tips
- Check every redacted PDF before you send it - a box looks the same whether the text is gone or not.
- Share only the verified file and keep the original to yourself.
- Also run the Privacy Scanner to catch emails, phone numbers and metadata you did not think of.
Common problems & fixes
- It found nothing but I can see boxes
- The text underneath was probably already removed properly - that is the good result.
- A finding is not something I redacted
- Untick it before you press the fix button.
- The PDF needs a password
- Type the password into the box that appears so the file can be checked.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my PDF redaction really worked?
Upload it. Any text still hiding under a black box is listed with its page.
Can people copy text from under a black box?
Yes, if the text was only covered. That is exactly what this tool finds.
Does fixing just draw a better box?
No. The hidden text is removed from the file.
Is the check free?
Yes. The scan is free; the fixed download uses your free fix or credits.
Is my file stored?
No. It is analysed and then deleted.