PDF Redactor
Research tool
I built PDF Redactor while preparing student work for research. It helps find names and other identifiers, lets you review the proposed boxes, and supports drawing additional redactions by hand.
The document is processed in your browser. The tool rebuilds the output PDF from rendered pages and, if you choose a searchable export, adds a text layer that excludes spans intersecting redaction boxes.
Finding text is only part of the review. An identifier may appear in an image, a handwritten note, or an unexpected form. OCR can help with image text, but it can also miss or misread it. Inspect each page and the exported PDF before sharing.
The export report shows the tool’s checks for retained terms and document structure. A passed check covers those tests; it does not establish that every identifying detail has been removed. Export records are stored locally in the browser and can be downloaded or cleared.
Using the tool
Open a PDF, enter the name and additional identifiers, and select Find identifiers. Review the matches and add any missing boxes. Choose whether the output should be searchable, export it, and inspect the result.