Across the last [reports=5] benchmarking reports we shared externally, what direct or indirect identifiers slipped thr…
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 removes visible words and pictures, making them look like black boxes. Sanitizing removes hidden information that you cannot see, like who made the document, old versions, or comments. You need to do both to make sure no private data is left in your file.
Yes, for many sensitive items like SSNs or account numbers, Acrobat Pro has an automatic redaction feature. You can tell it to find and redact specific patterns of numbers or text. After it runs, it's a good idea to have another person check a few random pages to make sure it worked correctly and didn't miss anything.
It is very important to work on a copy because redaction is permanent. Once you save a redacted file, the original information is gone forever. If you make a mistake or need the original unredacted document later, you will still have it safe.
Redaction codes are labels you can put on redacted areas, like 'Privacy' or 'Confidential'. They explain why something was hidden without revealing the content. You can set up your own list of codes in Acrobat Pro and apply them when you redact. This helps keep everyone on your team consistent.