How to redact a PDF on iPhone (in Safari, no app)

The short answer

Open Redact PDF in Safari, pick the PDF from your phone, accept the highlighted details, cover anything else with a box, and download. There's nothing to install, and the file never leaves your iPhone: everything runs inside the browser tab.

That matters because most quick ways of marking up a PDF on a phone, such as drawing or highlighting on top of it, only add a layer. The words underneath can still be copied out by whoever receives the file.

Step by step on iPhone

1. Open Redact PDF in Safari and tap to choose a file. You can pick a PDF saved in Files or one you've downloaded from email.
2. If the PDF has a password, type it when asked. It only unlocks the file in your tab.
3. Wait a moment while emails, phone numbers, account numbers, ID numbers and labelled names and addresses are highlighted. Tap a highlight to accept or reject it.
4. Draw a box over anything that wasn't found, such as a signature, a stamp or a handwritten note. Zoom in for small text.
5. Keep the style on Solid for numbers and short text.
6. Export and save the file. On most iPhones it lands in the Downloads folder of the Files app, from where you can share it.

Turn your phone sideways for a wider view of the page. Drawing precise boxes is easier when the page fills the screen.

What changes in the exported PDF

Every page is rebuilt from pixels. The text under your boxes is gone rather than hidden, and document metadata such as the author name and the software used is dropped. Before the download starts, the result is read again with OCR, and anything still legible is flagged so you can fix it.

The trade-off is that text in the new PDF can't be selected or searched. Keep the original for yourself and send the redacted copy.

Limits worth knowing

• PDFs up to 50 pages and 25 MB each. Split larger files first.
• Word and Excel files need to be saved as PDF before you open them.
• Signatures and handwriting aren't found automatically. Draw a box over them.
• Large PDFs use a lot of memory. If Safari reloads the tab, close other tabs and try again.

Not sure the copy you received from someone else was redacted properly? Drop it into the PDF Redaction Checker, or read how to check if a PDF is redacted.