Permanently Redact Sensitive Information from Your PDF
Find or manually select sensitive information, review what should be removed, and create a redacted PDF where selected content is permanently removed instead of simply covered by a visual black box.
✓ Automatic detection✓ Real PDF redaction✓ Scanned PDF OCR✓ Free to use✓ No account required
Review detected information
Uncheck an automatic result to keep it. Add rectangles for anything the detector missed.
Text PDF
Document preview Black = automatic · Red = manual
Permanent PDF redaction, not just visual covering
Nerato combines automatic detection, visual review and manual redaction with a PDF redaction engine that removes selected content from the output document.
Find sensitive information
Nerato can detect supported types of personal and sensitive information to help you locate content that may need to be removed.
Review before you redact
Detected items are highlighted in the PDF preview so you can verify the context and choose exactly what should be removed.
Mark anything else manually
Automatic detection cannot find everything. Add manual redaction areas for additional text, signatures, images or document regions you want removed.
Privacy by design
Your PDF is temporary. Your review stays yours.
Nerato keeps the uploaded PDF only in a temporary processing session while you review detected information and create the redacted document. Temporary sessions expire automatically after 15 minutes, and completing a redaction consumes the session.
No account requiredTemporary processingAutomatic session expiry
PERMANENT PDF REDACTION
Remove sensitive content instead of only hiding it
Drawing a black rectangle over information is not necessarily the same as removing that information from a PDF. Nerato applies real redactions to the selected regions when generating the output document.
01
Locate content that may need redaction
Use supported automatic detection to surface common sensitive-data patterns, then review each result before deciding what should be removed.
02
Go beyond a visual black box
A visual overlay can make information look hidden while leaving underlying content in the document. Nerato processes selected regions with the PDF redaction engine when creating the final copy.
03
Redact scanned PDFs with OCR when needed
When a supported scanned or image-based page does not contain enough usable embedded text, Nerato can use OCR to help locate sensitive information.
How to permanently redact a PDF
Upload your PDF, review the information that should be removed, then create a new copy with the selected regions permanently redacted.
1
Upload the PDF
Choose the document you want to redact. Nerato analyzes supported PDFs for common types of sensitive information.
2
Review and select the redactions
Check detected items, deselect anything you want to keep and add manual redaction areas for additional content that should be removed.
3
Create the permanently redacted PDF
Apply the redactions to generate a new PDF with the selected content removed from the resulting document.
What does permanent PDF redaction mean?
Permanent PDF redaction means removing sensitive content from the document, not merely making it invisible on the page. This distinction matters when a PDF contains personal, financial, confidential or identifying information.
Nerato lets you review detected information and manual redaction areas before creating the output PDF, so you remain in control of what is actually removed.
Permanently redact scanned PDF documents
Scanned PDFs may contain images of text instead of searchable PDF text. When needed, Nerato can use OCR on supported pages to help identify sensitive information before you review and apply the redactions.
Manually redact content that automatic detection misses
No automatic detector can identify every type of sensitive content. Manual redaction lets you mark additional text, signatures, photographs, handwritten details or other areas that should be removed.
Why covering text with a black box may not be enough
A rectangle placed over text can hide it visually without necessarily removing the underlying information. Nerato uses the PDF redaction process on selected regions when generating the redacted output.
Always review the redacted PDF before sharing
Automatic detection and OCR can miss information or produce incorrect matches. Review the detections, add any necessary manual areas and inspect the resulting PDF before sharing sensitive documents.
Permanent PDF redaction FAQ
Does Nerato permanently redact PDF content?
Selected regions are processed with the PDF redaction engine when Nerato creates the output document rather than being covered only by a visual overlay.
Can I permanently redact information manually?
Yes. Add manual redaction areas for information or document regions that automatic detection does not identify.
Does Nerato automatically remove everything it detects?
No. Detected items are presented for review. You choose which detections should be redacted.
Can I review the PDF before permanent redaction?
Yes. Review detected items and manual redaction areas in the document preview before applying the final redactions.
Is a black rectangle the same as permanent redaction?
Not necessarily. A visual overlay can hide information without removing the underlying content. Permanent redaction removes the selected content from the generated output PDF.
Can Nerato find sensitive information automatically?
Nerato can detect supported patterns and fields including email addresses, phone numbers, IBANs, payment card numbers, dates of birth and certain identity or document fields. Detection is not guaranteed to find everything.
Can I permanently redact a scanned PDF?
Nerato can use OCR when needed on supported scanned or image-based pages, subject to the service processing limits. Always review the results before redaction.
Is Nerato free?
Yes. Nerato's basic PDF redaction workflow is free to use and does not require an account.
PDF privacy tools
Explore focused Nerato tools for checking and redacting sensitive information in PDF documents.
Find supported types of personally identifiable information, review the results and permanently redact what you choose.
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