Redaction annotations are annotations that mark areas of the PDF for redaction. They can exist as a text selection or rectangle to redact text or an area of a page respectively.
Redaction occurs in two steps: marking content for redaction and applying the redaction.
Note: The tools you have available in the Document Viewer may vary. Please check with your organization administrator if you are missing something that you expected to see.
Marking content for redaction
Mark your page content, or full pages, for redaction.
Navigate to the Redact tab.
Click Mark for Redactions.
Manually highlight text, click & drag to create redaction annotations.
Search and redact by keyword or patterns within your document to create redaction annotations.
Click Redact Pages.
Select one or more pages to redact larger amounts of page content and click Add Mark.
Click Redaction Panel to review your items marked for redaction.
To deselect any items marked for redaction, click Clear.
Icon | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mark for Redactions | Manually highlight text, click & drag, or use text search to create redaction annotations.
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| Redact Pages | Select one or more pages to redact larger amounts of page content.
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| Redaction Panel |
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Note: Marking content for redaction requires human action. Automated redaction is not currently available as a feature.
Applying your redactions
After marking for redaction, apply them to permanently redact content from the document.
Navigate to the Redact tab and open the Redaction Panel.
Review your items marked for redaction.
To apply your redactions, click Redact All.
Click Burn Annotations to permanently redact the content.
Warning: This action will permanently remove all items selected for redaction. It cannot be undone.
Applying redactions to content requires human action. Automated redaction is not currently available as a feature.
Comparing Save, Burn Annotations, and Redact All
To keep your changes made when editing or redacting documents, you can choose to Save, Burn Annotations or Redact All. Each action produces different results and can be used to fit the business process for your organization.
Save | Burn Annotations | Redact All | |
|---|---|---|---|
Trigger Action | Any edit + Click Save in toolbar | Click Burn Annotations in toolbar | Click Redact All in Redaction Panel |
Scope | Content edited | All annotations on all pages | Only items marked for redaction |
Effect on content | New, edited, deleted annotations remain editable. | Flattens/locks annotations; underlying page content is unchanged. | Permanently removes the underlying content |
Result | Document reflects the edit, and remains fully editable going forward. | Annotations become non-editable | Content is permanently removed. |
Recovery | Edit again, save again. | The action cannot be undone. However, previous revisions may be recovered. | The action cannot be undone. However, previous revisions may be recovered. |
FAQ
In which document types can I redact content?
Redact on 30+ document types including: PDF, MS Office (doc, docx, xlsx, pptx) and Images (jpg, png)
Are redactions autosaved?
No. You need to click Redact All in the Redaction Panel, to apply the redactions to the content marked for redaction, then click Save.
Can I deselect or clear the items I have marked for redaction?
Yes. To deselect the items marked for redaction, open the Redaction Panel and click Clear.
Do I need to both Burn Annotations and Save my document?
No. Burn Annotation saves a new revision of the document, with annotations no longer editable. Saving after Burn Annotation is redundant.
Can I undo a redaction which I have applied?
No. Applying redactions will permanently remove all items selected for redaction. This action cannot be undone.
Is it possible to recover any previous revision of the document, that is unredacted?
Yes. Users with VaultAccess, Owner, or Editor roles can go recover previous revisions by navigating to Document Library > Document Details > Revisions, downloading the previous revision, and uploading it as the newest revision. Users with Viewer role cannot perform this action.
How can I delete any previous revision of the document, that is unredacted?
After applying redactions to your document (e.g., "Document1"), open the menu (☰) and click Save As to download it to your local device as a PDF. Save it with a new name (e.g., "Document1_redacted"). Upload this redacted file to the Document Library, then delete the original ("Document1").
Can I access or extract the text beneath redactions?
No. The Redaction tool completely removes all traces of the redacted content from the document. Not only does it remove text, annotations and form fields, but it is also capable of redacting partial and entire images. Applying redactions "burns in" the annotations and removes any text, image, annotations, form fields or drawings from the document that is underneath the annotation's area.