Works locally — files never leave your browser

Black out text in a PDF

Drop a solid black box over any name, number or line you want hidden — or redact it permanently. It all happens in your browser; the file never leaves your device.

Open your PDF to start Free to edit · no account · $1 only when you download
Free to edit
No sign-up
No upload

Blacking out text in a PDF usually means one of two things, and it is worth knowing which you actually need. A black-out box is a solid filled rectangle you drag over the words — the classic censored look. It hides the text visually and prints exactly as you see it, which is perfect for a quick screenshot, a shared draft or covering a figure before you send it round. What it does not do, on a digital PDF, is delete the words underneath: they can still sit behind the box and, in some cases, be copied or searched back out.

So when the text is genuinely sensitive — a bank account, an address, a name that must never leak — reach for redaction instead. In DollarFix PDF the redact tool draws the same black bar but strips the underlying content out for good, so there is nothing left to recover. Use a plain black box to tidy the look; use redact when the words themselves have to disappear. Both live in the same editor, so you can decide box by box.

You do all of this without uploading anything. Your PDF opens and stays on your own machine — no account, no sign-up, no card on file. Editing is free; you pay a one-off $1 only when you download the finished file, with no subscription and no watermark.

How to black out text in a PDF

1
Open your PDF
Drop the file straight into the editor. It loads in your browser and stays on your device — nothing is sent to a server, no account needed.
2
Choose your tool
For a quick visual cover, pick the black box and draw it over the text. For anything confidential, switch to the redact tool so the words underneath are removed for good.
3
Cover the text
Drag the box over each name, number or line. Resize and reposition it, add more boxes across pages, and adjust until every sensitive detail is hidden.
4
Download for $1
Happy with it? Export the finished PDF with a one-time $1 payment — no subscription, no watermark, no recurring charge.
Open the editor now
No subscription
Others lock downloads behind $10–30/month plans. Here you pay $1 once, only when you export — nothing else.
Private by design
Your PDF is opened and edited inside your browser. It is never uploaded to a server — your file stays on your device.
Edits the real content
Change actual text, move and resize images, redact, sign and fill — not just sticky annotations on top. Full Unicode & Cyrillic.

Frequently asked questions

Does a black-out box actually delete the text underneath?
Not on its own. A plain black box is a solid shape sitting on top of the page, so on a digital PDF the original words can still hide beneath it and sometimes be copied or searched out. To remove the text for good, use the redact tool instead — it blacks out the area and strips the underlying content so nothing is left to recover.
When is a simple black box enough?
When you only need the text hidden from view — a quick screenshot, a shared draft, or covering a figure before you send a document round. If the words are genuinely confidential, don't rely on a box; redact them so they cannot be lifted back out.
Can I black out text on a scanned PDF?
Yes. A scan is just an image, so a black box covers that part of the picture with nothing hidden behind it. Draw the box over the area you want gone and it will not be visible in the saved file. Note that a scan has no editable text layer, so this is covering, not retyping.
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole thing happens inside your browser and your PDF stays on your device — which is exactly what you want when you're hiding names, numbers or private details. There is no account to create and no server copy.
What does it cost to black out text in a PDF?
Editing is completely free. You only pay a one-time $1 when you download the finished file — no subscription, no sign-up and no card trap.

More PDF tools

Black out text in a PDF in the next minute

Free to edit. No account, no upload. Just $1 when you're ready to download.

Open the editor