Redact Legal Documents and PDF Exhibits Privately

A lawyer, paralegal or individual preparing a legal document may need to share an exhibit while keeping selected personal details private. A contract copy for discussion and a court filing have different requirements. Establish the intended use and applicable instructions before choosing a redaction method.

Decide what must stay visible

Make a separate review note identifying the intended recipient, the relevant instructions and which details should be hidden or partially retained. Do not assume every name or number should disappear. Avoid changing the meaning of evidence through a broad search match.

Possible review locations include party details, account references, signature blocks, document headers and screenshots embedded in exhibits. Search for alternate spellings and repeated identifiers. Visually check seals, handwritten annotations and codes as well.

Redact an authorised sharing copy

1. Preserve the source. Keep the original, including any signed version, in your approved records system. Open a copy in the redaction tool.
2. Search one identifier at a time. Type a keyword or phrase and inspect the highlighted word areas. Press Enter or choose Select all matches to add them to the selection.
3. Handle partial identifiers carefully. Keyword matches cover complete recognised words. If instructions require retaining part of a number, use a precisely drawn box and zoom in to check the boundary.
4. Inspect every occurrence. Use the page picker and area list to locate marks. Remove a mark if it covers a relevant date, amount or clause that must remain visible.
5. Create a new copy. Apply Redact selected areas, review every page, then create and download the PDF. Open the result separately before sending it through the approved channel.

Can I use the result as a court filing?

Check the specific court’s rules and the output requirements first. PACER states that the filer is responsible for redacting private information from case files. Read the PACER guidance on redaction responsibility; it is not a rule for every jurisdiction.

WhatTheFile creates image-only PDFs. If a filing requires searchable text, accessible content, a particular PDF standard or other features this output does not preserve, use an appropriate approved PDF workflow. The tool does not assess privilege, sealing requirements, disclosure obligations or admissibility.

Does a black rectangle in an ordinary PDF editor remove the text?

It may only cover it visually. Here, the output is rebuilt from the visibly redacted page images. The original text layer and the pixels beneath each applied box are not retained in the exported copy. That still leaves you responsible for sensitive information elsewhere on the page.

Can I redact a digitally signed contract without changing the signature?

Keep the signed original separately. This image-based export does not preserve digital signatures or their validation. A visible signature picture is also something you must explicitly cover if it should not be shared.

When this tool is a fit

The download is a new image-only PDF or PNG with opaque black pixels in the selected areas. Original PDF text layers, attachments, comments and document metadata are not copied. Searchable text, links, interactive forms, digital signatures and accessibility tags are lost. Fine print can change and the file can grow.

Use another approved workflow if you need searchable or accessible output, a redaction audit log, review approvals, or preservation of signed documents. Local processing alone does not establish regulatory compliance or permission to disclose a record.

For the controls and keyboard shortcuts, see the complete PDF and photo redaction guide. Start with the private redaction tool when you have decided what the recipient is allowed to see.