Need to White Out Text in a PDF? Here's How

You have a PDF with text or images you need to hide. Maybe it's sensitive information, outdated content, or simply something you don't want visible. Whatever the reason, whiting out content in a PDF is quick and simple with the right tool.

The good news? You don't need expensive software like Adobe Acrobat. Our free PDF editor handles white out directly in your browser. Just open your PDF, use the Shape tool to cover what you want hidden, and save your clean document.

In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to white out text and images in a PDF using our Shape tool. You'll learn the best settings for completely covering content and when white out is the right choice. Let's get started.

Why Would You Want to White Out PDF Content?

People white out content in PDFs for several practical reasons:

Hide Sensitive Information
Cover personal details like phone numbers, email addresses, or account numbers before sharing documents with others.

Erase Mistakes or Outdated Text
Remove incorrect information, typos, or content that's no longer relevant without recreating the entire document.

Prepare Documents for Sharing
Clean up PDFs before sending to clients, colleagues, or posting publicly by hiding internal notes or draft content.

Remove Unwanted Images or Logos
Cover watermarks, old logos, or images that shouldn't appear in the final document version.

Clean Up Scanned Documents
Hide scanner artifacts, stray marks, or unwanted elements that appeared during the scanning process.

Create Templates
White out specific fields to create reusable templates from existing filled-out forms or documents.

How to White Out in PDF: Step-by-Step

Using the Shape tool in our PDF editor, you can create white out areas in just a few steps:

  1. Open Your PDF
    Drag and drop your PDF into the editor, or click "Choose PDF File" to browse. Your document opens directly in your browser and stays completely private.
  2. Select the Shape Tool
    Click on the Shape tool in the toolbar. The rectangle shape is perfect for creating clean white out areas that cover text or images precisely.
  3. Choose White (or Background) Color
    Set both the fill color and border color to white—or match your page's background color. This ensures the shape blends seamlessly with the page.
  4. Set Fill Opacity to 100%
    Make sure the fill opacity is set to 100%. This completely covers the underlying content so nothing shows through the white out area.
  5. Draw Over Content to Hide
    Click and drag to draw rectangles over any text, images, or content you want to white out. Adjust the size and position as needed.

Pro Tip: For non-white backgrounds, match the shape color to your page background color. This creates an invisible white out effect that blends seamlessly with the page.

Video Demo

Using BoostPDF to remove text from an existing PDF file.

Understanding PDF White Out

Our white out method uses the Shape tool to place opaque rectangles over content. This visually hides the content underneath without actually deleting the original data from the PDF file.

🔹 White Out vs Redaction: What's the Difference?

White out covers content visually—like using correction tape on paper. The original data may still exist in the PDF. Redaction permanently removes the underlying data from the file. For sensitive documents requiring data removal, consider using redaction tools. For visual cleanup and simple hiding, white out works perfectly.

🔹 Covering Images and Graphics

The Shape tool works on any visual content—not just text. You can white out logos, photos, charts, signatures, or any graphical element. Just draw a shape large enough to cover what you want hidden.

Important: White out covers content visually but doesn't permanently delete the underlying data. If someone edits the PDF, they may be able to remove the white out shape. For highly sensitive information, consider using redaction tools that permanently remove data.

Common Questions

❓ Can I white out multiple areas at once?

Yes! Simply draw as many shapes as you need. Each rectangle you create becomes a separate white out area that you can adjust independently.

❓ Will white out affect the PDF quality?

No. Adding shapes doesn't compress or degrade the rest of your PDF. Text and images outside the white out areas remain at their original quality.

❓ Can I undo a white out?

Yes, before saving you can select and delete any shape. After saving, the white out becomes part of the document. Keep your original file if you might need to undo later.

❓ Does white out work on scanned PDFs?

Absolutely. Since scanned PDFs are essentially images, the Shape tool covers the visual content just as effectively as on text-based PDFs.

❓ Can I white out on colored backgrounds?

Yes! Just set your shape colors to match the background. Use any color that blends with your page—it doesn't have to be white.

Wrapping Up

Whiting out content in PDFs is simple with the Shape tool. Cover text, images, or any content with colored rectangles that blend into your page. Everything happens in your browser, so files stay private and the process is fast and free. Ready to try it? Open PDF Editor