How to redact statements in Adobe Acrobat DC

Adobe Acrobat DC or Standard is a solid tool for basic PDF editing, but there may come a time when users want to redact documents for other parties. Unfortunately, only Adobe Acrobat Pro can do this due to the built-in feature.

One could argue for acquiring Acrobat Pro, but that’s a massive problem for many computer users because the tool might not be affordable from their point of view. If you’re not the type who does redaction quite often, then spending money for Acrobat Pro makes little sense.

So, what are the options? Well, there is a trick folks can take advantage of to perform redaction tasks directly from the free version of the app. It won’t be as easy when compared to the paid version, but we doubt that’s a major issue for some.

Easy way to redact text in Adobe Acrobat DC

If you want to easily redact statements in Adobe Acrobat DC, follow these steps:

Open Adobe Acrobat DC
Open a PDF document
Create a text box
Drag the text box over the section needed for redaction
Change the color of the Text Box
Print the document as an image

1] Open Adobe Acrobat DC

First, you must launch Adobe Acrobat DC via the desktop.
Alternatively, you can maybe find the shortcut on the taskbar.
The next option is to locate it via the Start menu app section.

2] Open a PDF document

The next step here is to open the document where the redaction must take place.
Click on File at the top-left corner of the app.
From there, select Open.
Locate the PDF, then hit the Enter key.
You can also select Reopen PDF from the last session if you’ve opened it before.

3] Create a text box

The next move here is to create a text box over the text you want to redact. If you’re used to using Adobe Acrobat DC, then you should have no problems, but for those new to the app, have a walk with us.

Click on the Tools tab.
After that, please select Comment.
Click the Add Text Box icon on the toolbar.

4] Drag the text box over the section needed for redaction

Moving on, we are going to locate the text that needs to be redacted, then draw the text box over it.

After selecting the Text Box, click and drag over the layer of text.

By default, the text box is white, but we need to change it to black.

5] Change the color of the Text Box

In order to change the color, please look to the right panel for the Text Box settings.

Right-click on it, then select Properties.
From the Text Box Properties window, change the fill color from White to Black.
Click on the OK button.
The text box in your document should now be changed from white to black.

6] Print the document as an image

Finally, it is time to flatten the black text boxes. The only way to do this is by using the Adobe PDF printer to print the document as an image.

Click on File via the top-left corner.
Look for Print and select it.
Next, choose the Advanced tab.
Select the Print As Image section, then hit the OK button.
Finally, click the Print button at the bottom of the window, and that’s it, you’re done.

Read: How to use Stamps and Custom Stamps in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Does Adobe Acrobat DC have a redaction tool?

From what we can tell, Adobe Acrobat DC does not have a redaction tool. For that, you will need the services of Adobe Acrobat Pro. With the Redact tool in Acrobat, you can permanently remove text and graphics from your PDF document.

Can I edit a PDF without Adobe?

Yes, it is possible to edit PDF documents without the use of Adobe tools. Both the likes of Microsoft Word and Google Docs can edit PDF documents. The same can be said about the popular Word alternative, Libre Office. For those who aren’t certain, Libre Office is available free of charge on Linux and Windows.