Learn how to white out on a PDF.

Person with a striped shirt using a tablet to learn how to white out a PDF while managing a shoe store.

Is there a passage in your PDF you don’t want anyone to see? Learn the two best ways to permanently white out text in a PDF.

Just like the white out liquid you use in the office, you can white out on PDF to remove unwanted text and ensure nobody can ever see it again. The two easiest ways to white out text on a PDF are to extract entire pages or use a PDF editor.

Remove entire pages with a PDF extract tool.

In many cases, you might have an entire page in a PDF document that contains all your sensitive information. The easiest way to white out all the text at once is to extract the entire page with an online PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat online services.

Simply visit the extract PDF pages tool webpage and follow these quick steps:

  1. Upload the PDF.
  2. Select the page or pages you want to keep.
  3. Click Extract.
  4. Rename and download the new PDF.

The extraction tool will pull out your selected pages into a new PDF document, removing everything else. This is a quick and easy way to delete and “white out” entire pages of text from your PDF.

How to white out text on a PDF using a PDF editor.

When you want to be more specific with the words you white out, a PDF editor like Acrobat can help you get the job done. Here’s how to redact a PDF using Acrobat.

Person with a striped shirt using a tablet to learn how to white out a PDF while managing a shoe store.

  1. Open the document you want to white out in Acrobat.
  2. Under Tools on the top toolbar, choose the Redact tool.
  3. At the top of the screen under Mark for Redaction, choose Text & Images.
  4. Select the specific text and images you want to white out.
  5. Under the redaction tool properties, change the Redacted Area Fill Color to white.
  6. Click OK to approve changes.
  7. Save the PDF.

This redaction does more than just put a white block over your text. It completely removes the text from the PDF, making it impossible for anyone to uncover the text. It’s ideal for covering sensitive information you don’t want to get into the wrong hands.

Frequently asked questions.

How do I white out text on a PDF with my iPhone?

You can white out a PDF using your mobile device by downloading a PDF editor like Acrobat Reader from the App Store or using an online PDF editor through your web browser.

Is redacting or whiting out text on a PDF reversible?

Once you save the PDF, there’s no way to recover the information redacted. It’s always a good idea to save a new copy of the document before and after redacting, so you can keep the original in your records.

Can I white out a PDF for free?

Although it does require a subscription, you can try Acrobat with a seven-day free trial and get access to the best PDF tools, allowing you white out any PDF.
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