PDF tool for Mac

Redact a PDF on Mac. Really redact it.

Drawing a black box over text is not redaction: the words underneath can still be copied. Real redaction deletes them from the file.

Download for Mac

Free 7-day trial · then one purchase, no subscription · macOS 14+

In short: To redact a PDF on a Mac, drag it, pause and choose Redact in Sheaf. It finds names, emails, phone, card, account and ID numbers, you review them, and the text under each mark is deleted from the new copy.Updated 13 November 2026

Redacting personal data in a contract in Sheaf
Stays on your MacNo upload, works offline
No accountNothing to sign up for
Originals untouchedEvery result is a new file
One-time purchaseNo subscription
How it works

Redact PDF in three moves.

No app to open, no window to find. It happens where the file already is.

  1. Drag

    Start dragging the file from Finder, Mail, Photos or your desktop.

  2. Pause

    Hold still for a moment. Sheaf’s actions open in a circle around your cursor.

  3. Review and save

    Sheaf lists what it found. Add or remove items, then save a redacted copy.

Your options on a Mac

Three ways to do it, honestly compared.

Preview (built in)

Tools › Redact, then mark each item by hand.

  • Free and built in
  • You must find every item yourself
  • Easy to miss one on a long document

Online PDF sites

Upload the file to a website, wait, download the result.

  • Your document goes to someone else’s server
  • Free plans limit files, size or tasks per day
  • Needs an internet connection

SheafFastest

Drag the file, pause, let go.

  • Finds names, emails, phone, card and ID numbers
  • Deletes the text underneath, also in scans
  • Original kept unchanged

Why black boxes fail

If you cover text with a shape in a PDF editor, the original text usually stays in the file. Anyone can select it, copy it, or delete the shape. This has leaked court filings and government documents more than once.

What Sheaf finds

Names, email addresses, phone numbers, payment card numbers, bank account numbers and national ID formats (like US Social Security numbers, UK National Insurance numbers, Australian TFNs and others), including in scanned pages it reads with on-device text recognition. You can add your own words too.

Also remove what you can’t see

A PDF can carry the author’s name, edit history, comments and attachments. Before sending a redacted file outside, remove hidden data too.

Questions

Can I redact in Preview?

Preview has a Redact tool, but you mark each item yourself. Sheaf finds names, emails and numbers for you and removes the text underneath.

Can redacted text be recovered?

Not from a properly redacted file: the text is removed, not hidden. Keep the original somewhere safe if you need it later.

Does redaction work on scanned PDFs?

Yes. Sheaf reads scanned pages with on-device text recognition, so it can find and remove details in scans too.

Is it safe to redact PDFs online?

You would be uploading the very information you want to hide. Redact on your Mac instead.

Keep going

Related tools and guides

Remove PDF metadata

Author, history, comments, hidden layers.

Password-protect PDF

Lock a PDF before you send it.

OCR a scanned PDF

Make scans searchable and copyable.

For law firms

Bates, redaction, court-ready PDFs.

For healthcare offices

Patient privacy, searchable scans.

For teachers

Worksheets, handouts and privacy.

Your next PDF takes one second.

Drag it, pause, let go. Free for 7 days, then yours with one purchase. Family Sharing included.

Download for Mac

Mac App Store · macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel