By NakodaX Marketing team
NakodaX · · Updated
NakodaX blog/Document Protection·2 min read
How do you remove names and numbers from a PDF so they are really gone?
A black box drawn in a PDF editor usually sits on top of the text, which stays in the file and can be copied. NakodaX redaction deletes the marked text from the file and checks the result. It also blanks the title and author, and strips image location data. It covers PDF, PNG, JPEG and WebP.
Covering text is not the same as deleting it.
On this page
A law firm sends a draft agreement to the other side. A company sends an audit report to a regulator. An HR team sends an investigation file to an outside lawyer.
Most of each document can be shared. A price, a name, an address or a few paragraphs cannot. Someone draws black boxes over those parts and sends the file.
Why does a black box often fail?
A box drawn over text usually sits on top of it. The text is still in the file, so the other side can select it, copy it or read it with another tool. The PDF's title, author and other properties are also still there. This is a known way for redacted documents to leak, and the sender cannot see it from the page.
What does NakodaX change?
You open the PDF in your browser and mark the passages. The marked text is deleted from the file, and nothing is painted over it. NakodaX blanks the PDF's title, author and other properties, and checks the result. For images, the marked pixels are destroyed, and location and camera data are stripped.
It all runs in your browser, in Document Protection. You can then share the redacted file like any protected document, with the people you name, until the date you set, with a record of who opened it. The original stays with you.
Can it find things for you?
You can ask for suggestions on text PDFs. They find patterns such as email addresses, phone numbers, card numbers, bank account numbers and some national ID formats. Every suggestion needs your approval before it is marked. There is no AI and no name detection, so names you want removed you mark yourself.
What are the limits?
Redaction covers PDF, PNG, JPEG and WebP. It does not cover Word or Excel files, video, GIF, HEIC or SVG. For a Word or Excel file, use Selective Share to leave out sections, sheets or columns. The story of a PDF with passages removed shows a real case.
The takeaway
Mark it, delete it, check it, then share the redacted file with an end date.
Related product
NakodaX Document Protection
Protect documents before sharing. Control who can open them, what they can see, when access ends and how protected documents are used.
See how it worksCommon questions
Does a black box in a PDF editor remove the text?
Often not. The text can stay under the box in the file and be copied. NakodaX deletes the marked text and checks the result.
Which file types can NakodaX redact?
PDF, PNG, JPEG and WebP. Not Word, Excel, video, GIF, HEIC or SVG.
Does it find sensitive text automatically?
It suggests patterns such as emails, phone numbers, card and bank numbers, and every suggestion needs your approval. It does not use AI or detect names.
