This tutorial shows how to redact PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
I’m a technical writer and editor who shares writing tips for real the world on this channel
and on my blog at erinwrightwriting.com.
Today’s tutorial shows how to redact PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Specifically, we’re going to cover five tasks:
the basic method of redacting text and images, how to repeat redactions across multiple pages,
how to redact entire pages, how to find and redact text,
and, how to customize the appearance of redactions.
Plus, the bonus section at the end explains how to quickly sanitize specific metadata
and other items from your PDF.
Please note that the redaction processes shown here are permanent.
You cannot remove redactions or undo the sanitation process after they have been applied.
Therefore, you should perform these steps on a secondary copy of your PDF, not on the original.
I’ll be using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
The steps are the same in Acrobat Pro 2020 and Acrobat Pro 2017.
The redaction tool is not available in Acrobat Standard DC, Acrobat Standard 2020,
Acrobat Standard 2017, or in Adobe’s free PDF software, Acrobat Reader.
To begin the basic method for redacting text and images, select the Tools tab.
Then, select the Redact button in the Tools Center.
Now, select the text or image you want to redact.
A red border will appear around your selection.
If you hover your cursor over the selection, you’ll see a preview of the redaction.
When you’re ready, select the Apply button in the Redact toolbar.
The Apply Redactions dialog box will appear.
Toggle the button on, which is blue, or off, which is gray,
for the Sanitize and remove hidden information option.
Hidden information includes but is not limited to the following items:
attached files, links, bookmarks, comments and markups,
metadata including the author’s name, and digital signatures.
If you want to choose which items are sanitized, toggle this option off for now
and use the Sanitize Document tool later, as shown in the bonus section at the end of this tutorial.
Next, select the OK button.
And then select a location to save your file in the Save As PDF dialog box.
Note that you may not see this dialog box if you are saving an existing file.
Note that underscore redacted has been added to your file name.
Finally, select the Save button in the Windows Save As PDF dialog box or in the Mac equivalent.
Now that we’ve covered the basic method, let’s look at how to repeat redactions across multiple pages.
You can redact text or images in the same location, such as a header or footer, on multiple pages.
Note that this option won't redact the selected text or images in other locations on other pages.
We’ll look at how to find text to redact later in this tutorial.
With the Redact toolbar open as shown in the previous section, select the text or image you want to redact.
Then, right-click the selection and select "Repeat mark across pages" from the shortcut menu.
Note that the selection will turn black or another chosen fill color when you right-click.
Next, select specific pages from the Repeat Redaction Mark dialog box.
You can choose all pages, odd pages, even pages, or a specific page range entered into the text box.
After you’ve made your choice, select the OK button.
And then select the Apply button and continue the redaction process as shown in the previous section.
Now we’re going to redact entire pages.
You can redact one or more pages in your PDF at a time.
With the Redact toolbar open as shown in the first section,
select the arrow to the right of the Redact Text & Images button.
Then, select Redact Pages from the drop-down menu.
And choose your redaction option in the Mark Page Range dialog box:
"Mark current page for redaction" allows you to mark the current page and additional pages for redaction.
"Mark specific page range for redaction" allows you to enter individual pages or a page range into the text box.
After you've made your decision, select the OK button.
Note that if you chose "Mark current page for redaction," you can scroll to other pages
and use the cursor to select additional pages.
When you’re finished, select the Apply button
and continue the redaction process as shown in the first section.
In the next section we’ll search a pdf for specific text before redaction.
You can find specific words, phrases, or patterns to redact in individual PDFs
or multiple PDFs within a folder.
With the Redact toolbar open as shown in the first section,
select the arrow to the right of the Redact Text & Images button.
And then select Find Text & Redact from the drop-down menu.
Review the alert box warning you that images and line art are not searchable
even if they look like text, and then select the OK button.
Next, select the PDF or location to search in the Search panel.
And then select "Single word or phrase" or "Multiple words or phrase"
and then enter your search term into the text box.
You can narrow your search by selecting "Whole words only" or "Case-Sensitive."
Instead of words or phrases, you can also choose Patterns
and then select an option from the menu, which includes phone numbers, credit cards, social security numbers,
email addresses, and dates.
Once you’ve chosen words and phrases or patterns, select the Search & Remove Text button.
And then select the results you want to redact.
Now, select the Mark Checked Results for Redaction button.
And then select the X to close the Search panel.
Finally, select the Apply button and continue the redaction process as shown in the first section.
In the next section, we’re going to customize the appearance of redactions.
It’s important to note that you can’t change the appearance of existing redactions,
so you have to complete these steps before creating your redactions.
With the Redact toolbar open as shown in the first section,
select the arrow to the right of the Redact Text & Images button,
and then select Properties from the drop-down menu.
The Redaction Tool Properties dialog box will appear.
This dialog box offers many options, the most popular of which will undoubtedly be the Redact Area Fill Color.
If you choose No Color, your redaction will be a blank space.
Today I’m going to choose purple.
When you’re finished making your changes, select the OK button.
And then proceed to create your redactions as shown in the previous three sections.
In the next section, we’ll quickly look at how to sanitize PDFs of potentially sensitive information.
In this final section, we’re going to sanitize specific metadata, hidden information, and other items in a PDF.
Please note that this process is permanent,
so only perform these steps on a secondary copy of your PDF, not on the original.
Once again, open the Redact toolbar as shown in the first section,
and then select the Sanitize Document button.
Then, select Click Here in the Sanitize Document dialog box,
indicating that you want to selectively remove hidden information.
The Remove Hidden Information pane will appear.
Uncheck any results you don’t want to remove.
And then select the Remove button.
Review the warning in the Remove Hidden Information alert box.
And then select the OK button if you agree.
The status in the Remove Hidden Information pane will change to
“Removing selected items … Done” when the removal process is finished.
I have created many other videos about Adobe Acrobat, including “How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat”
and “How to Attach Files to PDFs in Adobe Acrobat.”
Please see the playlist called “How to Use Adobe Acrobat”
linked in the descriptionbox below for the complete list.
The companion blog post for this video listing all the steps we just performed appears on
erinwrightwriting.com, which is also linked below.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic related to Adobe Acrobat
or Microsoft Word that you would like me to talk about in the future.
And please subscribe to my channel and give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds]