PDF Editing Issues

How to Hide Text in a Scanned PDF on Android

Steve K Oct 19, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to hide specific text in a scanned PDF document and is seeking instructions on how to cancel their Adobe Acrobat subscription to request a refund.

How to Hide Text in a Scanned PDF and Cancel Your Acrobat Subscription

Product: Adobe Acrobat for Android
Device & OS: Android (Samsung Galaxy A23)
Scenario: Attempting to edit, redact, or hide text within a scanned document on a mobile device.
Observed behavior: The PDF app treats the scanned document as a single image layer, preventing standard text selection and requiring the use of manual drawing tools.

Before you start

Because scanned documents do not contain editable text layers, standard text redaction tools may not work. You will need to manually use a pen or shape tool to obscure the sensitive information.

Solution 1Recommended

Hide Text Using the Free-Form Drawing Tool

Use the pen or drawing tool in your PDF editor to manually draw over and obscure text on flattened or scanned PDFs.

When dealing with scanned PDFs, the document behaves like a photograph rather than a text file. To hide text, you must physically cover it with an opaque graphical layer.

Open your PDF document

Launch your PDF editing application on your Android device and open the scanned PDF.

Select the drawing tool

Tap the edit icon and locate the 'Pen', 'Draw', or 'Free-form' tool in the annotation toolbar.

Draw over the text

Select a thick line weight and a solid, opaque color (typically black). Carefully draw over the text you wish to hide until it is completely unreadable.

Save a flattened copy

Save the document. To ensure the drawing layer cannot be easily deleted by the recipient, flatten the document or use the 'Print to PDF' feature.

Security Warning: Simply drawing over text is a visual cover-up and may not constitute true redaction. Advanced users might still be able to remove the annotation layer if the document is not properly flattened before sharing.

Solution 2

Cancel Your Acrobat Subscription on Android

Follow the official Google Play Store steps to cancel your active subscription and prevent future charges.

Advanced Mobile PDF Editor

Hide Text in Scanned PDFs Effortlessly with WPS Office

WPS Office offers robust PDF editing capabilities, including easy-to-use annotation and drawing tools that work perfectly on scanned documents. It's a comprehensive, cost-effective alternative for mobile PDF management.

1. Open WPS Office: Launch the WPS Office app on your Android device and open your scanned PDF.
2. Access PDF Tools: Tap on 'Tools' at the bottom of the screen, then navigate to the 'Annotation' menu.
3. Select the Pen Tool: Choose the Pen tool, adjust the stroke thickness, and select black as your ink color.
4. Obscure the Text: Swipe your finger over the sensitive text to black it out, then tap 'Done' and save your newly edited PDF.

Easily draw over or obscure sensitive text in scanned PDFsFully compatible with Adobe PDF and Microsoft Office formatsLightweight application optimized for Android devicesFree alternative to expensive PDF subscriptions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I highlight or delete text in my scanned PDF?

Scanned PDFs are typically saved as flat images. Unless you perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to convert the image into machine-readable text, the document functions like a photograph, meaning individual words cannot be highlighted or deleted natively.

Is drawing over text in a PDF secure?

Using a standard pen or drawing tool to cover text only adds a visual layer on top of the document. To ensure the hidden text cannot be uncovered by removing the annotation layer, you must 'flatten' the PDF or print it as a new PDF before sharing.

How do I get a refund for an Android app subscription?

Refund eligibility depends on the developer's terms and Google Play policies. You can usually request a refund within 48 hours of purchase directly through your Google Play account's order history.

PDF Troubleshooting