BlackbarRedact a PDF on your iPhone or Android phone
No app needed. Open this page in Safari or Chrome on your phone, tap Choose a PDF, drag over what to hide with your finger and tap Download PDF.
- Stays on your device
- No account
- Nothing saved
Drag with one finger to draw a box. Tap Drawing: on to switch to scrolling.
On a phone, step by step
- Tap Choose a PDF. On an iPhone, pick the file from Files; on Android, from Files or Downloads. A PDF sent to you in an email or a chat has to be saved there first.
- Drag with one finger over each thing to hide. To move down a long file, tap Drawing: on so it reads Scrolling, scroll, then tap it again to draw.
- Tap Download PDF. On an iPhone, Safari asks where to save it; choose Files. On Android, it lands in Downloads.
Zooming in helps with small print. Tap Drawing: on to switch to Scrolling, pinch to zoom, then tap it again to draw; the box goes where your finger goes.
The pages are drawn at twice their size on screen, so a letter page is 1,224 by 1,584 pixels. On an older phone, a long file takes longer to open and to save.
Questions
Do I need to install an app?
No. It works in the browser that came with your phone.
Where does the file go on an iPhone?
Safari offers to download it; it then appears in the Files app under Downloads, named redacted.pdf.
Can I redact a photo of a document?
Only once it's a PDF. Most phone scanner apps, including the one built into the Files and Notes apps on iPhone, save scans as PDFs.
Does the file get sent anywhere?
No. It opens in your phone's browser and the new file is made on your phone.