How to redact PDFs on Mac with or without Adobe Acrobat

PDF is the most popular format for sending documents around online. Everyone, including myself, likes PDFs for this exact reason: pictures don’t move, fonts don’t change, and the overall content they carry always stays the same.

The problem is that sometimes PDFs contain sensitive information, errors, outdated facts, or extra content that’s no longer needed. What do you do in cases like these?

Well, you’ll have to use some sort of PDF redact tool to remove this information. If you don’t yet know how to redact a PDF so that all the deleted data is inaccessible to everyone, you’ll want to join me and explore these top options.

How to redact PDFs without Adobe Acrobat Pro

When someone needs a redact PDF tool, they often instinctively think about Adobe Acrobat. Since Adobe invented the PDF format and has such a dominant presence in the industry, its tools are naturally a go-to choice for everything PDF.

But even though Acrobat Pro is a capable redact tool, not everyone is up for using it. The tool is quite heavy and taxing on your system and comes with a costly monthly subscription. 

However, are there any good Adobe Acorbat Alternatives or ways to redact PDFs out there? Let’s take a look:

You want to	How to do it
Redact a PDF in Preview	Use the redact tool under Tools > Redact or basic markup tools to create a colored shape.
Redact image professionally	Use CleanShot X to pixelate and edit images.
Get a professional redaction tool	Use Nitro PDF Pro to redact, block, erase, and more.
Redact PDFs online	Use a browser-based solution like AvePDF that offers basic online PDF editing functionality.
Redact with Adobe Acrobat	Use Adobe Acrobat Reader's free version and the signature function to add a solid rectangle for redaction.

Next, I’ll break down how each method works and share my favorite ones, too!

How to redact a PDF in Preview

Preview is one of the most used default Mac apps for viewing images and PDFs. I use it practically all the time if I’m toying with stock images for any project or need to sign a PDF for personal reasons. The good news is that it also contains just enough functionality to redact PDFs. Since macOS 11 Big Sur came out, the tool has included a super-easy option for redacting PDFs.

To redact PDFs in Preview:

1. Open your PDF document in Preview.
2. Click Tools in the menu bar > Redact.
3. Carefully read the warning and click OK on the pop-up window.
4. Select the text you’d like to redact.
5. Save your document.

Using basic markup tools in Preview

There’s also another way to hide information, which is by using some basic markup tools in the Markup Toolbar. This method lets you manage what you want to keep private while still keeping the overall document in good shape.

To redact information with markup tools:

1. Open your document in Preview.
2. In the Markup Toolbar on top, select one of the shapes (I chose a rectangle).
3. Drag and position the rectangle over the text you want to redact.
4. Export the file as a new PDF (don’t just save it).

Using CleanShot X to redact screenshots

If you're looking to redact visuals from your PDF in a cool and customizable way, CleanShot X is a great option. What I really like about it is that instead of just leaving a black box over the redacted info, you can pixelate it, which makes it look way better.

To redact images, you need to:

1. Install and open CleanShot X.
2. Click the app icon in the menu bar > Take a screenshot or click Open to open an image.
3. In the app’s menu, click Pixelate (or select other options).
4. Select the area to redact and pixelate it.
5. Click Save as to save the image.

How to redact with Nitro PDF Pro 

If you really want full redaction confirmation, you’ll want to use a dedicated tool like Nitro PDF Pro. This isn’t to say that you’ll have issues with other apps (as I’ve never personally had problems with them). After all, Preview has a pop-up when you click the redact tool that says, “Redacted content is permanently removed.” However, a dedicated third-party tool could give you that peace of mind you’re looking for.

Nitro PDF Pro is an all-in-one PDF editing tool. It lets you create and edit PDFs, merge files into a single document, convert PDFs into other formats, turn PDFs into editable text, redact existing text, annotate, sign forms, and set passwords. Should I go on?

To redact with Nitro PDF Pro: 

1. Install and open Nitro PDF Pro on your Mac.
2. Open your PDF > Select the portion of the text you’d like to redact.
3. Go to Format in the menu bar > Choose either Redact Text — Block (paints a black rectangle on top) or Redact Text — Erase (erases selected text).
4. Once ready, save your PDF.

How to redact PDFs with online tools

If you need a quick redact option, you can still find a suitable web-based tool. However, you’ll want to be super careful about what sort of websites and tools you’re using, especially if you’re dealing with sensitive information. One of the reliable options is 

As an example, AvePDF offers basic online PDF editing functionality that you can use from anywhere, at any time. I was in a library once and really needed a redaction tool before I sent over some files, and AvePDF practically saved me.

Here’s how to PDF redact online with AvePDF: 

1. Go to avepdf.com.
2. Navigate to Protect > Redact PDF.
3. Upload your PDF file.
4. Click Add redaction marks.
5. Select the text you want to redact by drawing a rectangle around it.
6. Click Apply all redactions when done > Click Save.

How to redact with Adobe Acrobat

Before you completely skip over this section, let me let you in on a little secret.

Most people think that to modify PDFs, they have to pay for a recurring subscription to Adobe Acrobat Pro. However, this isn’t the case. If you want to use Adobe software to redact PDFs, you can do so with the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

Here’s how to redact PDFs with Acrobat Reader: 

1. Download and launch Acrobat Reader on your Mac.
2. Open your PDF > Create a slim black rectangle shape in any graphics app.
3. In Acrobat, go to Tools > Fill & Sign.
4. Click Sign yourself and Add Signature.
5. Load the image of the black rectangle.
6. Place the rectangle on top of your text.

Seal the deal: Redact and secure your PDFs

As you can see, learning how to redact a PDF takes just a few minutes but can save you dozens of hours (and lots of money) in the future. Now you know how to redact PDFs with Preview, Acrobat Reader, and even an online PDF redact tool, but my personal advice is to get Nitro PDF Pro for all your PDF needs and use it in tandem with PDF Squeezer to optimize every PDF to the max. 

Best of all, both PDF Squeezer and Nitro PDF Pro are available to you absolutely free for 7 days through a trial of Setapp — a platform with more than 250 outstanding apps for Mac and iOS across a variety of categories, from distraction-free writing to searching PDFs with AI (PDF Search) Try every Setapp app at no cost and see how we can make a difference in your digital world.