RedactFile is a privacy-first online tool that permanently removes sensitive information from PDFs, documents, screenshots, and images before sharing, using OCR, PII detection, and manual review.
What is RedactFile?
RedactFile is a web-based redaction tool that accepts PDFs, documents (e.g., DOCX), screenshots, and image files as input and produces a permanently redacted copy as output. It runs entirely in the browser and is developed by RedactFile (no company name disclosed). The tool combines automated sensitive data detection with user-controlled review to ensure that redaction is real — not just visual cover-up.
Key Features
- PII Detection: Automatically identifies names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, account numbers, and IDs across uploaded files.
- OCR for Scanned PDFs: Reads text from scanned documents and images so sensitive content can be detected and redacted.
- Multiple Redaction Styles: Apply black boxes, blur, pixelation, masking, or replacement labels to hide content.
- Manual Redaction: Select any text or area on the page to redact, in addition to automated detection.
- Metadata Cleaning: Removes hidden document data such as author names, comments, form fields, and embedded objects.
- Review Before Export: Preview all redaction marks and confirm each one before downloading the final file.
- Privacy-First Workflow: No AI training on user data; original files are deleted after processing, and redacted copies are available for up to 1 hour.
- Free Tier: Supports files up to 10MB and 10 pages, with 3 daily jobs.
Who is it for?
- Legal professionals: Redact client names, privileged information, and case details from contracts and discovery documents.
- HR and recruiting teams: Remove personal identifiers, compensation details, and candidate information from resumes and employee records.
- Finance consultants: Mask account numbers, tax IDs, and transaction details from bank statements and invoices.
- Individual users: Protect personal information (addresses, phone numbers, signatures) before uploading documents to online forms or sharing with landlords.
What can you do with RedactFile?
- Redact bank statements: Hide account numbers and transaction details while keeping the document readable for rental or visa applications.
- Sanitize legal documents: Remove confidential clauses, signatures, and case numbers from PDFs before external sharing.
- Prepare HR files: Strip phone numbers, addresses, and compensation data from employee records before internal distribution.
- Clean support screenshots: Blur customer emails, order IDs, and API keys from screenshots before sharing with third parties.
How does RedactFile work?
The workflow consists of four steps: (1) Upload a PDF, document, screenshot, or image directly from your device. (2) RedactFile uses OCR and PII detection to automatically find sensitive content such as names, emails, and account numbers. (3) Review the detected areas, add manual marks where needed, and apply redaction. (4) Export the redacted file as a downloadable PDF or image with hidden metadata removed.
Pricing
RedactFile offers a freemium model. The free tier allows redaction of files up to 10MB and 10 pages, with a limit of 3 jobs per day. Paid plans (not detailed on the site) likely unlock larger files, more pages, and higher daily limits.
FAQ
Is RedactFile free?
Yes, there is a free tier that handles files up to 10MB and 10 pages, with a daily limit of 3 redaction jobs. For larger files or higher usage, paid plans are available.
Can I redact scanned PDFs?
Yes, RedactFile includes OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to detect text in scanned PDFs and images, allowing you to redact sensitive information from non-selectable content.
Is the redaction permanent?
Yes, RedactFile permanently removes or neutralizes the underlying sensitive content so it cannot be copied, searched, extracted, or recovered from the PDF. The tool also strips hidden metadata to further protect privacy.
What file types are supported?
RedactFile supports PDF, DOCX, PNG, JPG, and other common document and image formats. It also processes scanned PDFs via OCR.
What is the daily limit for free users?
Free users can redact up to 3 files per day, with each file limited to 10MB and 10 pages.
