Over the last year, dataset redaction added days to engagements. Propose a standard anonymisation protocol for BI data…
Open one of your PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Best practiceMake sure you are using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC or later, as some features are not available in Standard.
Go to the 'Tools' pane and select 'Redact'.
Best practiceYou can also find 'Redact' in the right-hand pane or by searching in the Tools search bar.
Click 'Mark for Redaction' > 'Text & Images', then use your mouse to draw a redaction box over the area you want to redact.
CautionDo not apply the redaction yet; just mark the area.
Right-click the redaction mark and select 'Repeat Mark Across Pages...'.
Best practiceThis feature lets you apply the same redaction area to a range of pages within the current PDF.
In the dialog, specify the page range and click 'OK' to mark the same area on all selected pages.
Best practiceReview the marks to ensure they align correctly on each page.
To redact recurring text, click 'Find Text & Redact', enter your search term, and use 'Find Next' or 'Find All' to mark all instances.
Best practiceYou can use 'Match case' or 'Whole words only' to refine your search.
To apply these redactions across multiple PDFs, go to 'Tools' > 'Action Wizard', create a new Action, add the 'Redact' step, and configure it to use your search or redaction marks.
Best practiceYou can add multiple files to the Action and run the redaction process in batch.
Click 'Apply Redactions' to permanently remove the marked content, then save your files.
CautionRedactions are permanent and cannot be undone after saving.
For consistent redaction across multiple PDFs, carefully match the area coordinates and dimensions in each file before applying redactions.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Redacting content with the 'Redact' tool in Acrobat Pro actually removes the information. It is gone forever. If you only draw a black rectangle, the text is still underneath. Someone can select all text, copy it, and then paste it to see the hidden words. Redaction makes sure the information is truly removed and unreadable.
No, redacting only removes visible content like text and images. It does not remove hidden data such as metadata, layers, or revision history. You must use the 'Sanitize' feature separately after redacting to remove these hidden details and fully protect your document's privacy.
It is important to work on a copy because redaction is permanent. Once you save a redacted document, you cannot get the original information back. Using a copy means your original, unredacted document is safe if you make a mistake or need it later.
For many SSNs or account numbers, you can use Acrobat Pro's pattern-based auto-redaction. This feature finds and redacts patterns of numbers that look like SSNs or account numbers. After using auto-redaction, it is a good idea to have a teammate check a few random pages to make sure everything was redacted correctly.