This brief is useful for partner pitching but contains internal pricing tiers and the client's name. I can redact, but…
Open the PDF you want to redact in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Go to the Tools panel and select Redact a PDF.
Best practiceIf you do not see 'Redact a PDF,' click 'View more' to expand the list of tools.
Use your cursor to select the text or images you want to redact.
CautionRedacted content is permanently removed after applying redactions; double-check your selections.
Click Apply to permanently remove the selected content.
NoteYou may be prompted to save a copy of the document after applying redactions.
Save the redacted PDF with a new file name.
Best practiceSaving a new copy preserves your original unredacted document.
You can preview all redaction marks before applying them to ensure nothing is missed.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Redacting content with the 'Redact a PDF' tool permanently removes the selected text or images from the document. This means the information is gone and cannot be recovered. Drawing a black box only covers the content visually; the original text or image remains underneath and can often be copied or searched, making it unsafe for sensitive information. Always use the dedicated redaction tool for security.
For large documents with many instances of specific patterns like SSNs or account numbers, Acrobat Pro offers a pattern-based auto-redaction feature. You can set it to find and redact all occurrences of a specific pattern automatically. After using this, it's a good practice to have a colleague review a random sample of the document to ensure all sensitive information was correctly redacted and nothing was missed.
Sanitizing a PDF after redaction is important because redaction only removes visible content. PDFs can contain hidden data like metadata (author, date), layers, or revision history. This hidden data might still contain sensitive information. The 'Sanitize' feature removes all such hidden data, ensuring that no sensitive details remain in the document, even if they are not directly visible.
No, the Adobe PDF Services API does not have a feature for redaction. Redaction is a complex task that requires human review to ensure accuracy. This feature is only available in the desktop version of Acrobat Pro, not through the API for automated processes.