---
title: "Redaction: Remove Sensitive Content from a PDF"
lang: en
canonical_url: https://www.peony.ink/docs/features/security/redaction
description: "Redact names, figures, or clauses in a PDF inside Peony. Redaction creates a new file with the covered content permanently removed — step by step, plus how to handle the original."
---

Redaction lets you black out personal data, customer names, pricing or sensitive clauses before a document goes to bidders. Peony saves a **new PDF** with everything under your boxes **permanently removed** — not just hidden behind a black rectangle.

**Plan availability:** redaction is included on **Deal Team** and **Enterprise**. See [Plans & pricing](https://www.peony.ink/docs/account-billing/plans-and-pricing).

## Steps

<Video id="i46LzMlnK68" title="How to redact a PDF" />

1. Open the data room and **click the PDF** to open it.
2. Click **Redact** at the top right. The toolbar changes to **Save redactions** and **Cancel redactions**.

   ![A PDF open in Peony with the Redact button highlighted at the top right](https://www.peony.ink/docs/redaction/redact-button.png)

3. **Drag a box** over the text or area to remove. Draw as many boxes as you need, and use the page arrows at the bottom to move through the document.

   ![A box being dragged over the customer table in the PDF, shown as a grey area with a dashed red outline](https://www.peony.ink/docs/redaction/drag-a-box.png)

   - To adjust a box, drag its corner handles.
   - To remove a box, click it and choose **Delete**.
4. Click **Save redactions**.

   ![The finished box over the table with corner handles and a Delete label, and Save redactions highlighted at the top right](https://www.peony.ink/docs/redaction/save-redactions.png)

5. Choose what happens to the original in **Save redacted PDF?** ("This creates a new redacted file"):
   - **Keep old file** — the original stays in the room, and the redacted copy is added next to it.
   - **Delete old file** — only the redacted copy remains. Deleting is permanent.
   - **Cancel** — go back and keep editing.

   ![The Save redacted PDF? dialog with Cancel, Keep old file and Delete old file buttons](https://www.peony.ink/docs/redaction/keep-or-delete-old-file.png)

The redacted copy is saved as **`<file name> - Redacted.pdf`** in the same folder. The redacted area shows as a solid black box.

![The redacted copy, Customer Contract Abstracts - Redacted.pdf, with the customer table replaced by a solid black box](https://www.peony.ink/docs/redaction/redacted-copy.png)

## What Redaction Removes

Everything inside a box is taken out of the new file:

- The **text** — it can't be selected, copied, searched, or recovered from the redacted copy.
- **Links** inside the box.

Bookmarks and the rest of the document stay as they were.

## If You Keep the Original

The original and the redacted copy are two separate files. Before you share:

- Set the **original** to **No access** for every group that should only see the redacted version. See [Permissions: view, download, upload](https://www.peony.ink/docs/features/security/granular-access-control).
- A common M&A pattern: early-round bidders see the **redacted** copy, and the shortlist sees the **original** — two groups, one room, no rebuild.

## Tips

- **Check every page** before saving. Boxes apply to the page you draw them on.
- **Redact before you share.** Visitors who opened the original earlier have already seen it.
- **Word, Excel and PowerPoint:** export to PDF, upload the PDF, then redact.

## Common Questions

#### Is redacted text actually removed, or just covered?

Removed. Peony saves a new PDF with the text under each box taken out of the file, so it can't be copied, searched, or recovered from the redacted copy.

#### What happens to the original file?

When you save, you choose **Keep old file** or **Delete old file**. If you keep it, set it to **No access** for any group that should only see the redacted copy.

#### Can I redact Word or Excel files?

Redaction works on PDFs. Export the document to PDF, upload it, then redact.

#### I made a mistake before saving. How do I undo it?

Click the box and choose **Delete**, or click **Cancel redactions** to leave without changing anything.

## Related

- [PDF](https://www.peony.ink/docs/file-types/pdf)
- [PowerPoint](https://www.peony.ink/docs/file-types/powerpoint)
- [Permissions: view, download, upload](https://www.peony.ink/docs/features/security/granular-access-control)
- [M&A deals](https://www.peony.ink/docs/use-cases/ma-advisory)

---

_Markdown version of [https://www.peony.ink/docs/features/security/redaction](https://www.peony.ink/docs/features/security/redaction.md) for AI agents and LLMs; canonical HTML: https://www.peony.ink/docs/features/security/redaction. Every page on peony.ink is available as markdown — append `.md` to the URL or request it with `Accept: text/markdown`. More: [llms.txt](https://www.peony.ink/llms.txt)._