Document redaction

Review and redact sensitive information across documents and scans.

Move from pages and scans to reviewed marks with candidate detection where configured, precise manual controls, and an output you can inspect before release.

Request a DemoAll features
The OpenRedakt document workspace with no document open: tool rail, manual redaction panel, page tools, and the project panel listing files with their preparation status. Project and file names are blurred.
The current OpenRedakt document workspace, with no document open. Project and file names are blurred.
  • PDF and supported office-file preparation
  • Text and area controls for manual review
  • Candidate findings remain subject to reviewer decisions

The review problem

Scans, dense pages, and mixed file types need more than a black rectangle.

A useful document workflow has to expose what the reviewer is marking, preserve the context around it, and make the final output available for inspection—not simply cover pixels on screen.

Review to output

From source to reviewed document redaction output

The controls change with the medium. The responsibility to inspect every decision does not.

  1. 01

    Open and prepare

    Open a PDF directly or convert a supported office document into the document review workflow.

  2. 02

    Extract or recognise text

    Use native text where it exists, or run configured OCR on scans and image-based pages.

  3. 03

    Review and mark

    Assess candidate findings, select text, or draw an area; then edit the mark, appearance, and reason.

  4. 04

    Export and check

    Render a reviewed copy, inspect the output, and retain a report of the recorded decisions when required.

Candidate review

Start with evidence, not an automatic final answer.

Configured engines can surface categories of sensitive information. Findings enter a review queue so the operator can inspect context before applying or dismissing a mark.

  • Candidate categories depend on the configured engine
  • Approve, reject, or refine findings before export
  • Keep automated suggestions separate from reviewer judgment

Manual control

Handle what a detector cannot know.

Select recognised text or draw an area directly on the page for contextual, visual, or policy-specific redactions.

  • Text selections stay aligned to recognised words
  • Area selections cover visual regions and non-text content
  • Reasons and appearances can be reviewed before output
The OpenRedakt document workspace with no document open: the manual redaction panel with selection modes, redaction appearance and reasons, beside the tool rail and the page tools

Output evidence

Treat export as another review step.

The workflow can re-open supported output, check for readable marked content, and create a report of recorded actions. Reviewers still inspect the deliverable before use.

  • Output checks run against the rendered file
  • Residual findings are surfaced for follow-up
  • Reports describe the review record without certifying legal sufficiency
OpenRedakt document export settings: export folder and name, searchable PDF output, an optional audit report, and what the export will include. Nothing is marked in this view, so the export button is not yet available.

Supported inputs

  • PDF, including scanned pages with OCR
  • DOCX / RTF / TXT / HTML / Markdown
  • Office and OpenDocument formats via configured conversion tooling

PDF is native. Other supported inputs are converted for document review; several legacy, spreadsheet, and presentation formats require a local LibreOffice installation.

Frequently asked questions

Practical questions before evaluation

Answers reflect the current product boundary, including the tooling and review conditions that matter in a real workflow.

Continue exploring

Audio redaction

Redact sensitive moments in audio with precise timeline control.

Explore workflow

Industries that rely on document redaction

Document Redaction Software for Windows | OpenRedakt