Image Redaction
Drag over a face, address, or account number — the pixels underneath are permanently replaced.
Drop an image here or click to browse
Photos and screenshots — nothing leaves your device
How to Use
- 1. Upload the photo or screenshot you want to redact.
- 2. Choose pixelate, blur, or blackout.
- 3. Drag across the image to cover each sensitive area.
- 4. Download — the hidden pixels are permanently replaced.
Redaction That Actually Works
The most common redaction failure is covering something rather than removing it. A black rectangle drawn over text in a PDF, a slide, or a design file usually sits on a separate layer — the original text is still in the file and can be recovered by anyone who selects it or opens the source. Real redaction has to destroy the underlying data.
That is what happens here. Each region is applied directly to the pixel data and the result is exported as a flattened PNG, so there is no layer to peel back and nothing recoverable underneath.
Choose the style deliberately. Pixelation and blur are reversible in principle — because both are deterministic transformations, an attacker can repeatedly render candidate text through the same filter until the output matches, a technique that has successfully recovered redacted account numbers. For anything that genuinely must stay secret, use blackout.
A useful side effect: because the image is redrawn on a canvas, EXIF metadata is discarded too. GPS coordinates and camera details do not survive the export.
Related: EXIF Viewer & Remover, Blur Background, and Screenshot Beautifier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the redaction permanent?
Yes. The pixels underneath are genuinely replaced before the file is written — the export is a flattened image with no hidden layer. This is the crucial difference from drawing a black box in a PDF or slide deck, where the original content often survives underneath.
Which style should I use for sensitive data?
Blackout. Pixelation and blur look thorough but are reversible in principle — researchers have recovered text from pixelated images by testing which inputs produce the same blocks. For account numbers, addresses, or anything that must never be read, use blackout.
Does this remove metadata too?
Yes, as a side effect. The image is redrawn onto a canvas and re-encoded, and canvas pixel data carries no EXIF — so GPS coordinates and camera details are dropped along with the redacted regions.
How do I remove a box I drew by mistake?
Each region is listed below the image with a remove button, and Undo takes off the most recent one. Nothing is applied destructively until you download.
Is my image uploaded?
No. Everything happens on an HTML canvas inside your browser, which matters especially for a tool handling sensitive images.
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