Widely-used PDF files can preserve text and graphics almost exactly as they seem in the application that produced them. The format is intended to hold text as well as bitmapped and vector pictures, with the text searchable, copyable, and even editable in the appropriate program. Which may create an ocean of trouble when someone attempts to delete facts from a PDF before distribution. For example changing details from a lawsuit, government statistics, or even inter-company connectivity. You can prevent this by putting black boxes over the words and paragraphs you wish to protect.
In most scenarios, drawing boxes over the text in a PDF just adds the boxes and does not erase the content behind them. Anyone who wants to extract the text behind the obfuscation can just drag over the section with a selection tool or choose Select All on the page. Hence, the copied text can be stolen then by pasted into a word processor or text editor.
These black-box coverings have been produced to embarrassing and legally catastrophic situations for decades. If you need to remove text from a PDF before sending it—and you can't just delete information from the source document used to produce the PDF and create a new one—you may use one of numerous applications to snip secret, legally restricted, embarrassing, or self - developed material out of a PDF before sending it. This article demonstrates how to redact PDF on Mac using the default preview app and Adobe robust PDF redaction tool.
1. How to Redact a PDF Document Using Preview App
Double-click the PDF file to open it in the Preview app.
Select the annotation tool (a pen with a circle around it).
Drag the mouse over the text you want to redact and click on the Redact tool (a black square with a dotted border).
Remember that after you've redacted a PDF and saved it, you won't be able to reverse your actions. So only save the PDF if you are certain you will not require the redacted information. To be on the safe side, make a duplicate of the PDF file before using the redact tool.
2. How to Redact a PDF Document Using Adobe Acrobat
Whether you're redacting material to preserve trade secrets or to comply with an official law, you need a dependable and safe method to do it. With a few clicks, you may alter or conceal the pictures and material you want removed from a document. Redact PDFs on a Mac by following these easy steps:
Open the PDF file you wish to edit with a PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat.
From the navigation menu, select the Redaction tool.
Choose the material you wish to remove. The selected content will be surrounded by a red box.
Choose how you want the redacted material to appear (for example, replace content with a blank space or a black box).
Select or highlight the material you wish to remove.
The Redaction tool may be found in a few distinct places in Acrobat. If you're having problems, check for Redact under Tools, in the Edit menu, or when you control-click on highlighted text or an image. You may now share or publish your PDF with confidence, knowing that any sensitive information is safe.
WPS PDF - Best PDF Editor To Redact Certain Data
Although there are many redaction software tools available in the market for Mac, nothing beats WPS Office PDF Editor for Mac. This software is popular for its ability to edit, redact, convert, create, and perform OCR to make PDF files editable. It also allows you to blackout your file’s text, images, and pages permanently, even you can perform batch redaction on your PDF.
Generally, you’ll need to hide personal data like email addresses, phone numbers or names. So you can redact individual words or a paragraph or even pages as needed. Just drag your cursor over text to add the black redaction to the targeted area. With the help of a good PDF Editor like WPS, you can also change the redaction similarly as you edited; d, drag again over the redacted text to remove the redaction. But after you save a redacted file, then it will never be deleted.
Download the WPS Office now for your Mac.
FAQs
How To Redact a PDF on Macbook?
Open the PDF using the default preview app. From the menu bar, click on the Redact tool (a black square with a dotted border, the 3rd one).
How Can I Redact My PDF on Mac?
You can easily redact your private info in a PDF using the default Preview app. Open the doc in preview and click on the third option from the left in the menu bar, the redaction tool with a black square and a dotted border.
