Check a redacted PDF
A black rectangle hides nothing. The tool looks for what is still in the file.
What it looks for
- Text under the black areas: a rectangle placed over text that still exists is the most common mistake. Recovered text is blurred on screen; you choose whether to show it.
- Metadata: author, title, subject, keywords.
- Annotations, comments and form fields, which often carry a name.
- Attachments and JavaScript code.
- Earlier versions: an edited PDF often keeps the previous version, with what has been redacted since.
What it does not see
- Text in an image: a scan redacted with a marker pen is an image, there is no text underneath.
- A person recognisable through context: only a human reread can see that.