Sharing a document that contains something it shouldn't — a bank detail, a personal ID number, another client's information — is a common and avoidable mistake. Proper redaction removes the information permanently, not just visually.
The Mistake Most People Make
Drawing a black rectangle over text in a basic PDF viewer often only covers it visually. The underlying text can still be selected, copied, or extracted by anyone who knows to try — which defeats the entire purpose of redacting it in the first place.
Example: What Gets Redacted
Common candidates for redaction before sharing a document externally include bank account numbers, government ID numbers, other clients' names mentioned in shared correspondence, and internal pricing not meant for the recipient — for example, turning "Account: 4482-1190-2231" into a properly redacted black block that can't be copied or recovered.
How to Redact Properly
- Upload the PDF to a free tool with a genuine redact function — not just a highlight or draw tool.
- Select the exact text or area to remove.
- Apply the redaction and save a new copy of the file.
- Before sending it anywhere, try to select and copy the redacted area to confirm the underlying text is actually gone.
A Final Check
Always redact a copy of the file, never the only version — once redacted information is removed, it can't be recovered from that file again.
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