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Powerful Methods to White Out PDF

Businesses frequently use PDF file formats to save important data, metrics, and confidential information of clients and employees. However, there are sometimes when PDF file users are urgently required to make edits to the documents. Now, instead of extracting the text from the document and pasting it into editable file format is not a solution as it is time-consuming and disrupts the formatting.

This article will provide a solution on how to white out a PDF file and the advantages of why it is better to white out PDF over blacking out. Also, different methods and tools will be discussed in the article to white out text in PDF files easily.

Part 1. What is White Out a PDF

The white out a PDF refers to the feature which allows users to easily erase, conceal or annotate the selected area, including text and images of a PDF file. It is a perfect and quick solution if you urgently need to make a change or correct any errors in the PDF document before submitting it. The users usually use the white out feature to make edits to a PDF file, especially when they are required to make small changes or they want to replace or add new text to the PDF file.

The feature to white out text is also used if you want to conceal confidential information such as bank information, address, or contact details in the PDF document. The white out PDF feature is widely used as it doesn't affect the quality or aesthetic look of the PDF file as the method to white out text is highly undetectable. Hence viewers are unlikely to find if any changes were ever made in the PDF document.

Part 2. White Out vs. Black Out in PDF

The white out text in a PDF file is preferred over blackout in PDF documents. To start with, in the white out method, users use a white rectangle to conceal the errors of confidential information, which merges with the original background of the PDF documents. Hence, white out features intact the PDF document's quality and elegance. On the contrary, the black out feature uses a black rectangle to overlap the text, which is required to conceal, which destroys the quality of the PDF document.

Furthermore, by using a black out method on a PDF file, the format of the file gets disturbed, and the document already starts giving an odd look to the text and formatting. On the other hand, by using the white out method, users can add or replace text across the concealed text or elements, which makes it a more reliable option for editing PDF documents.

Part 3. How to White Out PDF with Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is a renowned and oldest software available for editing, managing, and organizing PDF files. Because of its compatibility with different devices and software, it smoothens the workflow as the documents are accessible across all devices. Adobe Acrobat offers users distinctive features, such as users can convert files into different formats.

They can process the PDF files across different devices and use the feature to white out PDF in Adobe to conceal errors or sensitive information. Users can easily hite out text or images in a PDF document using Adobe Acrobat by following the simple steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Install Adobe Acrobat and launch it on your computer. After launching Acrobat, browse PDF from your computer to import it on Acrobat. Follow it up by tapping on the "Tools" tab and navigating to the "Protect & Standardize" section. Now, choose the "Redact" tool to proceed.

Step 2: After clicking on the "Redact" tool, tap on the "Mark for Redaction" option, and from the drop-down option, choose "Text & Images."

Step 3: After clicking on the "Text & Images" option, choose the area of text or image you are required to white out. Follow it up by tapping on "Properties," and from the "Redacted Area Fill Color," choose white color and tap on "OK."

choose the redacted area fill color

Step 4: Tap on "Apply" to confirm the changes and your selected area will be concealed. After clicking on "Apply," a small window with options will appear on your screen. To remove the hidden information permanently, click on "Yes." Now, rename the file and select the location on your computer to save the changes.

Part 4. How to White Out PDF Online

bPDFzorrob is an online PDF editor which offers a fast, simple, and easy process to edit PDF files. Users can white out PDFs online for free on the go without installing the application. Users are only required to search PDFzorro on the browser, and they can edit PDF files from any device at any time.

It provides a bunch of basic and premium features such as converting PDF files into other formats, crop pages of a PDF file, and the feature to white out text in a PDF online. PDFzorro offers a simple process to accurately white out PDFs online without compromising the document's formatting:

Step 1: Search PDFzorro on your computer browser such as Google Chrome or Opera. From the features, click on "Whiteout/Blacken PDF." Now, click on the "Upload" button, or you can also use the drag-drop feature to import PDF files on the PDFzorro web application. Users can also import PDF files from Google Drive directly.

Step 2: After you have imported the PDF on PDFzorro, it will take a few seconds to process. As soon as your PDF file is processed, an option to "Start PDF Editor" will appear on your screen. After clicking on this button, your PDF will be opened in the editor of PDFzorro. Now, select the page to be edited along with the rectangle shape. Next, choose the white color to erase the text on your document.

select rectangle and fill color white

Step 3: To white out the text, drag your cursor over the text or images you want to white out. You can also undo the changes you have made from Undo button. After you have whited out the required area of the PDF, click on "Save" to save the changes. Following this, download the PDF by clicking on the "Download" button, and your PDF will be saved in your computer's download folder.

Part 5. The Best PDF Tool You Shouldn't Miss

Are you looking for an attractive and powerful PDF editor? UPDF is a premium PDF editor which allows users to explore all the features from basic to advance, making it one of the most reliable and efficient tools. Its powerful and quick algorithm allows users to manage large PDF files swiftly without wasting time. You can download it by clicking the download button below.

The exclusive feature to white out text is not currently available for the UPDF user. However, it will be launched soon for the users to accurately conceal a specific area in a PDF file without disturbing the formatting.

Key Features of UPDF Premium PDF Editor

UPDF offers distinctive features few of which are mentioned below. The best part of these features is that they are easy to process with few simple steps which are required to be followed.

  • Insert Pages in a PDF File: Users can also insert pages in a PDF file using the UPDF tool. There are two options available such as the "Blank Page" option using which you can add a blank page into a PDF file. The other option, "From File", allows users to add pages from other PDF documents.
  • Convert PDF to PowerPoint: UPDF also allows users to easily convert PDF into PowerPoint format to convert the document into presentation slides. You can also convert PDF into Excel, Word, and other popular formats.
  • Add Stamps to your PDF Files: UPDF also offers the feature of adding stamps to a PDF file. Several preset stamps are available to give a different look to the content on the PDF document so that no one can steal the data from the PDF.

Part 6. FAQs on Hiding Text in PDFs

1. Can You White Out on a PDF?

You can white out text on a PDF file using the UPDF tool. The redaction feature is not officially available on UPDF right now but will soon be available to the users. However, in the meantime, users can still white out PDFs using the UPDF annotation tool.

After opening the PDF on UPDF, navigate to the "Comment" tool from the toolbar. Select the "Shape" option from the toolbar to choose the rectangle shape. Next, draw a rectangle across the text you want to white out and change the rectangle's color to white. This way, you can easily white out a text on PDF until redaction is not officially launched.

2. How Can I White Out a PDF for Free?

You can white out PDF for free by using the UPDF annotation feature. After browsing the PDF on UPDF, navigate to the comment tool. Follow it up by selecting the rectangle shape and drawing it over the text area you want to conceal or erase. After that, alter the color of the rectangle and choose white color. Save the changes as it is, or you can also add text on the concealed text and save it on your computer on the selected destination.

3. What is White Out in PDF?

White out refers to the process in which a selected text area in a PDF file is concealed using the redaction tool. This allows PDF users to make quick changes if any error occurs at the last minute of submitting an important PDF file or if they want to conceal confidential information.

4. Does White Out Show up on a copy?

No, white out doesn't show on a copy, as the color of the rectangle drawn on the PDF matches the background of the PDF pages. As a result, while printing the PDF file or copying the PDF content, it doesn't show up and is highly undetectable.

Conclusion

As discussed in the course of the article, there are many ways to white out the text in a PDF file. However, it is highly necessary to use dedicated features and tools to perform the task on important and confidential files as there is always a risk of potential damage or leakage of data on the internet.

UPDF is a reasonable and secure solution for all your PDF files to stay on the safe side. You can use the annotation feature to white out text in a PDF file until the Redaction feature is under development to keep your data safe and free from damage. You can download it to try it out.