Redact a Photo
Draw over the parts of a photo that shouldn't be public. The covered pixels are removed from the file, not hidden under a layer.
What it does
Redact a Photo deals with the part of a file you cannot see. Photos and documents carry embedded data — where a picture was taken, on what device, by whom, when, and with which software — and it travels with the file every time it is sent on.
When you need it
Before anything goes to someone you do not know: a listing photo, a CV, a picture posted publicly. A photo taken at home carries your address to within a few metres, and the visible content gives no hint that it is there.
Limits and caveats
Stripping metadata does not change what is visible in the image — anything legible in the picture itself stays legible. Some platforms strip metadata on upload and some do not, which is exactly why it is worth doing before you send rather than hoping. Everything happens in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.
How to redact a photo
- Drop the photo.
- Drag a box over anything that shouldn't be seen.
- Download. The file is rebuilt from scratch with those pixels gone.
Frequently asked questions
- Can someone undo the black boxes?
- Not with the black-box mode. The image is re-encoded from a fresh canvas, so the covered pixels are not in the downloaded file at all — there's no layer to peel off. This is the failure behind every leaked 'redacted' document you've read about.
- What about pixelate and blur?
- Those conceal, they don't redact. Both keep a degraded version of the original pixels, and researchers have recovered faces and text from both. Use them for style, not for secrets — we warn you on screen when you pick one.
- Does it strip the metadata too?
- Yes, as a side effect: the exported file is a fresh encode, so EXIF — including GPS — doesn't come along. Use SafeShare if you want to see what was in there first.
- Do my files get uploaded?
- No. This tool runs entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.