Redact PDF for Legal Discovery
In discovery, producing a document with a faulty redaction can waive privilege or expose a client's personal data — and 'faulty' usually means a black box laid over text that is still readable underneath. Opposing counsel and e-discovery platforms routinely extract that hidden text. PdfXpo performs true redaction: it removes the marked text and image streams from the PDF binary, so privileged passages and PII are physically excised and cannot be recovered during review or by an unshingling tool.
Confidentiality is the whole point, which is why uploading sensitive exhibits to a third-party web app to redact them is a risk in itself. PdfXpo keeps everything local — redaction runs in your browser via WebAssembly and the unredacted document never leaves your device or your firm's control. It is free and unlimited, with no account, so associates and paralegals can prepare production-ready, watermark-free sets without subscriptions or IT sign-off.
100% Local Privacy
Your files never leave your computer
Local Browser Power
Instant Processing in Browser
Secure Client-Side Processing
Data is handled entirely within your browser for maximum security
How to Redact PDF for Legal Discovery — Step by Step
1. Open the free Redact PDF tool at PdfXpo.com — no account, no email, nothing to install. The tool loads entirely in your browser, so your file never gets uploaded to a server. Drag your file straight in and it is ready to work on in seconds.
2. Draw a box over every piece of sensitive information you need gone — names, numbers, addresses, signatures, whole regions of a page. You can mark as many areas across as many pages as you like; there is no daily limit and no watermark on the result.
3. Run the redaction. PdfXpo physically deletes the underlying text and image data inside the file — not just a black box on top — so the information cannot be copied, searched, or recovered. Download your clean, court-and-compliance-ready PDF instantly.
Why PdfXpo for Redaction
Litigation teams rely on PdfXpo because the redaction is irreversible and the workflow is air-gapped — no privileged material is ever sent to a server. Documents come out clean and production-ready: no watermark, the surrounding text layer stays searchable for review platforms, and bookmarks and structure are preserved.
Common Questions
Can opposing counsel recover redacted text?
Not from a PdfXpo redaction. We delete the underlying text and image data from the file, so there is nothing for a viewer, search, or unshingling tool to recover.
Is the document uploaded during redaction?
No. It is processed in your browser and never leaves your device, preserving confidentiality and privilege.
Will redacted documents stay searchable for review?
Yes. Only the redacted regions are removed; the remaining text layer is intact, so the production set stays searchable.
Does it work for large exhibit sets?
Yes — there is no daily cap and no file limit, so you can redact lengthy, multi-exhibit productions for free.