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.