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Word Redactor

Redact a Word document and keep it editable. The selected text is replaced in the file, not covered. Your file stays on your device or secure network and never touches our servers.

AI Finds emails, phones, cards and IDs. Turn on AI to find names, orgs and places.

Drop a .docx file here

or choose a file. Old .doc files are not supported.

Text is replaced, not covered

Black highlighting in Word only changes how text looks. The text stays in the file. This tool replaces each selected item with [REDACTED] in the XML of the file, also when Word has split a word into parts.

Hidden data is removed

The new file does not keep comments, tracked changes, document properties, custom XML, embedded objects, charts, SmartArt, link addresses, alt text or hidden text. Most field codes go too. Page numbers, tables of contents and cross-references stay live.

What the tool cannot read

Text inside images is not read, so check each picture yourself. The tool shows a warning if the file contains images. Old .doc files are not supported. Save them as .docx first.

How to redact in Word

Many guides tell you to highlight text in black or to change its color. This is not redaction. The text stays in the file, and anyone can select it, copy it or change the color back. Comments, tracked changes and document properties can also hold names that you do not see on the page.

To redact a Word document, you must replace the text and remove the hidden data. This tool does both:

  1. Choose a .docx file or drop it on the page.
  2. Turn on AI to find names, organizations and places. Without AI, the tool finds emails, phone numbers, cards and ID numbers.
  3. Review the items. Add words to "Always hide these words". Click a black item to keep its text.
  4. Download the new .docx. Each selected item shows as [REDACTED], and you can still edit the file.

To remove the text and hidden data by hand in Word, and then test a PDF copy, read our article on how to redact in Word.

What the tool checks

The tool replaces text in the body, tables, headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, text boxes and watermarks. Before the download, it reads the new file again and stops if it finds a selected word in text, a free-text field, a field code or a bookmark name. It does not test fields that hold only a format keyword or a number, so a word such as "left" or a number can stay in a field of that type.

Text inside images is not read, and the tool shows a warning if the file contains images. Old .doc files are not supported.

Is my file safe?

Your file stays on your device or secure network and never touches our servers. The page has no server code. Read our privacy policy for what the page loads.

To share a fixed copy that no one can edit, use the PDF Redactor. Its pages are images.

Frequently asked questions

Can you redact in Word?

Yes, if you replace the text and remove the hidden data. Black highlighting alone is not redaction, because the text stays in the file. This tool replaces the text and removes the hidden data for you.

Is my Word file uploaded to a server?

No. Your file stays on your device or secure network and never touches our servers. The page has no server code. The tool reads and writes the file in your browser. The page loads its code, a ZIP library, an AI library, the optional AI model and Plausible analytics. None of these requests holds your file.

What does the new file not keep?

Comments, tracked changes, document properties, custom XML, embedded objects, charts, SmartArt, link addresses, alt text and hidden text. Tracked insertions stay as normal text, and tracked deletions are removed. Link text stays. Most field codes go and their results stay, but page numbers, tables of contents and cross-references stay live. Some Word text effects are lost, and custom styles get neutral names. Pictures that are not PNG or JPEG are also removed, because other formats can hold hidden text. PNG and JPEG pictures stay. The tool removes their metadata and color profile, but keeps rotation data. It does not read or change what the picture shows. A bookmark name can hold a number of up to 10 digits. It stays unless you select that number. If a selected word is in a field code or a bookmark name, that field or link becomes plain text. If it is in the data of a drawing, the drawing goes. If a selected word or number matches a hex value, such as a color, that value changes to zeros, so a color can become black. These three changes happen at the download, so the list "Not kept in the new file" does not show them.

Does the tool read text inside images?

No. Text inside images is not read, and a cropped part of a picture stays in the file. The tool shows a warning if the file contains images. Check each picture in Word before you share the file.

Can I open an old .doc file or a file with a password?

No. Old .doc files are not supported, so save the file as .docx first. Remove any password in Word before you open the file in the tool.

Is automatic detection 100% accurate?

No automatic tool is perfect. Read the text in the tool before you download, and add any other words to "Always hide these words". A word of four or more letters also matches inside a longer word. A phrase that crosses two paragraphs or two table cells is not matched, so add each part. If you keep one copy of a word, the file cleanup and the final check no longer test that word anywhere. Font names stay unless you select them. The search does not treat similar letters from other alphabets, Turkish I, ligatures, half-width katakana or spellings with no accent (Jose for José) as the same. If you keep a longer item that holds a word, the same is true: if you keep an email address that holds a name, the cleanup and the check do not test that name.

Is the Word Redactor free?

Yes. The tool is free, with no account, no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how often you use it.