Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
Using redaction in Adobe® Acrobat® X
Best practices for removing sensitive text and images from documents
Redaction is the permanent deletion of visible text and images from documents. In the past, a black marker
was used to hide sensitive information. These days, it doesn’t make sense to print out a document just to
redact it. The process is slow, expensive, and inefficient. Instead, law firms, government agencies, and
organizations around the world rely on Adobe Acrobat Pro software to safely and permanently remove content
from the document data stream.
Acrobat redaction tools were introduced in version 8, and redaction capabilities have continued to improve
with each release. In Acrobat X Pro, several new redaction features were introduced:
• Redactionacrosspages—Repeataredactionthroughadocument.Usefulforredactingheadersandfooters
from documents.
• Partialpaernredaction—Markpartofapaernforredaction.Forexample,markpartofanationalIDor
credit card number. Useful for identifying individuals without revealing personal information.
• Redactionmarkappearance—Settheappearanceofredactionmarks.Forexample,markitemswitha
transparent red overlay.
• OverlaytextinCommentslist—ViewoverlaytextintheCommentlistforquickreview.
This paper provides tips for getting started and best practices for using the redaction tools in Acrobat X.
Topicscovered include:
• Seingredactionpreferences
• Markingtextandgraphicsforredaction
• Seingcommonredactionproperties
• Addingoverlaytextandexemptioncodestoaredaction
• Creatingareportofredactions
• Applyingredactionstopermanentlyremoveinformation
• UsingActionstoautomatetheredactionworkow
Preparing for redaction
Redactions must be carefully applied and managed. Here are a few tips to get ready.
• Copythedocumentstoberedactedtoanewfolderonyourharddrive.
• Ifthedocumentisascannedimage,converttheimagetosearchabletextusingopticalcharacterrecognition
(OCR).
• Reviewthedocumentstoidentifythetypeofinformationthatneedstoberedacted.Forexample,personally
identiableinformation(PII),suchasdriver’slicense,nationalidentication,orcreditcardnumbersthatcan
be used to identify, contact, or locate a person; names of companies or people that need to remain conden-
tial; or trade secrets such as formulas or computer code.
Table of contents
1: Preparing for
redaction
2: Automatically
copying redacted text
to a sticky note
3: Redacting text
andgraphics
8: Reviewing redactions
10: Applying redactions
12: Automating
Redaction Workows
Using Actions
13: Tips and tricks for
advanced users
16: Best practices
summary
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Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
The following diagram illustrates a suggested workflow for redaction.
• Determine items to be redacted
Scope
• Convert documents to PDF
• OCR image-only PDFs to
enable searching
Document
preparation
• Mark text and graphics to
be redacted
Mark items
• Apply redactions to
permanently delete information
Apply
• Remove metadata and the OCR
text layer
Remove
metadata
• Save documents under a
new name
Save
• Review items marked for
redaction using Acrobat
commenting tools
Review
Example redaction workow
Automatically copying redacted text to a sticky note
A redaction mark acts like a comment until you apply the redaction, which then permanently removes the
information. A best practice is to set your preferences to automatically copy text into a sticky note, which are
compiledintheCommentspane.Usingstickynotesmakesiteasiertoreview,edit,anddeletewhatismarked
for redaction.
1. ChooseEdit > Preferences(Windows)orAcrobat > Preferences(Mac).
2. IntheCategorieslist,clickCommenting.
3. SelectCopy Selected Text into Highlight, Crossout, and Underline Comment Pop-ups.
4. ClickOK.
WhenyouselecttextusingtheMarkforRedactiontool,thetextisautomaticallycopiedintoastickynoteand
placedintheCommentslist.
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Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
Redacting text and graphics
UsetheMarkforRedactiontooltoselecttextandgraphicsthatwillberemovedfromthedocument.The
cursor changes depending on the type ofcontent.
Note:Markinganitemforredactiononlyflagstheitemforredaction.Tofinalizetheredaction,youmustapplyit.
To select the redaction tool:
1. In the Tools panel, expand the Protection section.
2. SelectMark for Redaction.
To redact text:
1. SelecttheMark for Redaction tool.
2. Hover the cursor over the text that you want to redact. e cursor becomes a text selection cursor ( ).
3. Selectthetexttomarkitforredaction.
Tip:Didyouselecttoomuch?
PressCtrl+Z(Windows)orCommand+Z(Mac)toundotheredaction.
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Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
To redact a graphic or image:
1. SelecttheMark for Redaction tool.
2. Hoverthecursoroveranimage.Whenthecrosshaircursor(+)appears,youcanselecttheimage.
3. Drawarectangularselectionaroundtheareatoredact.Everythingwithintheselectionarea—images,text,
andvectorobjects—isremoved.
Still can’t get a crosshair cursor?
Sometimesitisdifficulttoselectanentireareathatcombinestextandgraphics.Togetthecrosshair
cursor(+)foranarearedaction,holddowntheAlt(Windows)orCommand(Mac)key.
Tip for redacting a photo
Toselectallthepixelsinanimageforredaction,double-clicktheimagewiththecrosshaircursor(+).
To preview a redacted item:
1. SelecttheMark for Redaction tool, if it is not already selected.
2. Hover over a redaction mark to preview it.
To delete a redaction mark:
1. WiththeMarkforRedactiontool,hoverovertheredactionmarkandclicktoselectit.You’llseesubtle
animation around the edges.
2. Todeletetheredaction,presstheDeletekey.
Preview with cursor
over redacted object
Normal view shows
redacted information
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Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
Changing the appearance of redactions
Bydefault,redactionsappearassolidblackrectangles.Youcanchangetheappearanceofredactionmarks.
Forexample,theimagebelowshowsdifferentoptions.
Redaction color Overlaytext Text color and repeat
Examples of customizing the appearance of redactions
To change the appearance of a single redaction mark:
1. WiththeMarkforRedactiontool,hoverovertheredactionmarkyouwanttochange.
2. Right-click and choose Properties.
3. In the Redaction Properties window, select the changes that you want to make. e options are listed by
leersinthescreenshotbelow.
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Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
Redaction Tool Properties window
To change the default appearance of all redaction marks:
1. WiththeMarkforRedactiontool,selectanitemforredaction.
2. Right-click and choose Properties.
3. SpecifytheappearanceoftheredactionmarkandclickOK.
4. Right-click the redacted item and choose Make Current Properties Default.
Frequently need to change the color of redaction marks?
UsethePropertiesbarinstead.ToopenthePropertiesbar,pressCtrl+E(Windows)orCommand+E
(Mac).Selectaredactionmarkandchangeitscolor.
a. Choosethecoloroftheredaction.Youcanalsochoose
no color.
b. Selecttohaveoverlaytextontopoftheredaction.
c. Choosethefontfortheoverlaytext.
d. Setthefontsizefortheoverlaytext.
e. SelectAuto-SizeTexttomakethetexttthewidthof
the redacted area.
f. Selecttorepeatthetextovertheredactedarea.
g. Choosehowtoaligntheoverlaytext:lejustied,
centered, or right justied.
h. Specifythefontcoloroftheoverlaytext.
i. Selecttoenablecustomtext.Typethetexttoappear
on top of the redaction.
j. Selecttoapplyanexemptioncode.Exemptioncodes
arelistedinthebox.Youcannotchangetheinforma-
tion in this eld.
k. Selectaredactioncode,ifapplicable.Redactioncodes
are pre-dened sets of text used to denote the reason
or statute under which the redaction was made.
AcrobatProincludestwoprepopulatedsets—U.S.
FOIA(FreedomofInformationAct)andU.S.Privacy
Act.Youcanalsocreateandsaveyourownsets.
l. Settheoutlinecolorfortheredactionmark.is
aects the appearance of the marked item only, not
the nal appearance of the redaction.
m. Setthellcolorfortheredactionmark.isaectsthe
appearance of the marked item only, not the nal
appearance of the redaction.
n. Settheopacityoftheredactionmark.isaectsthe
appearance of the marked item only, not the nal
appearance of the redaction.
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Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
Deleting or changing multiple redaction marks simultaneously
TheAcrobatCommentspanelcontainsalistviewofallredactionmarksinthedocument.Fromthere,youcan
delete or change the properties of multiple redaction marks at one time.
1. ClicktheCommentpanelandexpandtheCommentsListsection.
2. Dooneofthefollowing:
• Toselectnon-contiguouscomments,holddowntheControlkey(Windows)orCommandkey(Mac)and
click the comments you want to remove or change.
• Toselectallcommentsinthelistorcommentsnexttoeachother,selecttherstcomment,andthenwhile
pressingtheShikey,selectthelastcommentyouwanttoremoveorchange.
3. Todeletethecomments,presstheDeletekey.
4. To change the properties of the selected comments, right-click and choose Properties.
Searching for text to redact
TheSearchandRemoveTextfeatureallowsyoutosearchforsingleormultipletextstringsandpatterns,such
asnationalIDnumbers,withinasingledocumentoracrossmultipledocuments.
To search and redact text:
1. In the Tools panel, expand the Protection section.
2. SelectSearch & Remove Text.
3. Forwheretosearch,selectthecurrentdocumentorbrowsetoafolderoflestoperformacross-
document search.
4. Selectwhatyouwanttosearchfor.IfyouchooseMultiple Words or Phrase, the Words and Phrases to
SearchandRedactdialogboxopens.EntereachwordtosearchforandclickAdd or click Import to import
a list of words.
5. ClickSearch and Redact. When the search is complete, the results appear.
6. To view where a result appears in the document, click the result.
7. Selecttheresultsyouwanttomarkforredaction.Tomarkalltheresults,clickCheck All.
8. ClickMark Checked Results for Redaction.
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Using pattern-based search
Youcansearchforparticularpatternstofindinformation,suchasphonenumbers,nationalIDnumbers,email
addresses, and dates. To create custom patterns, see the section, “Creatingcustomredactionpatterns.”
To search for information using a pattern:
1. In the Tools panel, expand the Protection section.
2. SelectSearch & Remove Text.
3. Forwheretosearch,selectthecurrentdocumentorbrowsetoafolderoflestoperformacross-docu-
ment search.
4. UnderSearchFor,choosePaerns.
5. Selectthepaernyouwanttond.
6. ClickSearch and Redact.eSearchdialogboxopens.
7. To perform a new search, click New Search.
8. TosavethesearchtoaPDForCSVle,clicktheleicon.
9. To view where a result appears in the document, click the result.
10. Choosewhetheryouwanttomarkwholeorpartialwords.Forpartialwordredaction,clickSeings.
11. Selecttheresultsyouwanttomarkforredaction.Tomarkalltheresults,clickCheck All.
12. ClickMark Checked Results for Redaction.
Reviewing redactions
It’simportanttorevieweachpageofyourdocument,especiallyscanneddocuments.Youcanusethefollowing
familiar commenting and annotation Acrobat features to manage redactions:
• AddnotesandcommentstoredacteditemsandsendthemtoanotherAcrobatusertoreview,replyto,
orchange.
• Summarizecommentsandnotesaachedtoredacteditemsaspartofarevieworarchivalworkow.
• Approve,reject,ordeleteitemstoberedactedusingtheCommentslist.
• ParticipateinaSharedReviewworkow,whichallowsyouandyourcolleaguestouseAcrobatXProto
collaboratively redact documents.
To add a note or comment to an item marked for redaction, do one of the following:
• Right-clicktheitemandchooseOpen Pop-up Note.
• Double-clicktheitem.
ToviewtheCommentlist:
• ClicktheCommentspanelandexpandtheCommentsListsection.
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Creating a redaction summary
YoucanconsolidatethecommentsofredacteddocumentsinasinglePDFfile.Redactionannotationsare
displayed as callouts on the document.
To create a summary:
1. Openthedocumentcontainingyourredactionmarks.Youmustrunthisstepbeforeyouapplytheredactions.
2. ClicktheCommentspanelandexpandtheCommentsListsection.
3. IntheupperrightcorneroftheCommentsList,clicktheOptionsiconandchooseCreate Comment Summary.
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4. IntheSummarizeOptionsdialogbox,choosealayoutoption.
5. ClicktheCreate PDF Comment Summarybuon.
AcrobatcreatesaPDFfilethatsummarizestheredactionmarksusingthelayoutthatyouselected.
Applying redactions
Youmustapplyaredactiontopermanentlyremovetheinformationfromthedocument.Allgraphicobjects
such as text, raster images, or vector images that are fully covered by a redaction mark are completely
removed from the document. All graphic objects that are partially covered by a redaction mark are modified so
that only the covered area is removed. Any information associated with the graphic objects is also removed.
Aftertheredactionsareapplied,AcrobatpromptsyoutosavethePDFdocumentasanewfileandwillonly
include valid objects. This method prevents removed objects from being viewed or recovered in the future.
To apply redactions:
1. In the Tools panel, expand the Protection section.
2. SelectApply Redactions.
3. In the warning window, click OK if you want to remove the information.
e redactions are applied.
4. In the message prompting you to examine the document for additional information, click Yes. is action
nds hidden information, such as metadata, text, and comments, that could lead to an accidental disclosure.
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5. Review the results and then click Remove.
6. ChooseFile>Save.Acrobatrenamesyourleautomaticallywhenyousaveit.
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AutomatingRedactionWorkowsUsingActions
YoucanuseguidedActionsinAcrobatXtoautomatemanyofthestepsintheredactionprocess.Withguided
Actions, users are automatically taken through each step and prompted as appropriate, ensuring process
consistencyandminimizingtheuser’slearningcurveforAcrobat.Forexample,youcanhaveanActionthat
performs the following steps:
1. Prompts you to locate the documents to redact.
2. ConvertsthemtoPDF(forsupportedletypeslikeWordorExcel).
3. PerformsOCRonthedocument,ifneeded.
4. Prompts you to redact the document.
5. Applies the redactions.
6. Removes hidden information and metadata.
7. Reduces the le size of the document.
8. ChangestheletoanAcrobat5levelle(PDF1.4),whichiscompatiblewithcourtlingsystems.
9. Renames the le with the _redacted.pdf sux.
10. Savestheredacteddocumentsinafolderofyourchoosing.
Downloadtheaboveexampleactionalongwithinstructions(Redaction_Action.pdf).
YouwillneedAcrobatXProtoruntheAction.
PDFfileincludes:
• Installationinformation
• EmbeddedAction
• InstructionsonhowtousetheAction
• Customizinginformation
Redaction_Action.pdf (674K)
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Tips and tricks for advanced users
Creating custom redaction patterns
Acrobatusesregularexpressions—oftenabbreviatedasREGEX—tofindpatterns.Aregularexpressionisacode
patternthatdescribestheattributesofthetextthatyouwanttofind.Forinstance,ifyouneedtofinduniquely
patternedaccountnumbers,youcanuseaREGEXtofindthepatternandmarkallaccountnumbersacross
manydocuments.Forexample,forthepatternofthreealphabeticcharactersfollowedbythreedigits,the
REGEXis\D\D\D\d\d\d.ThispatternwouldfindABC123,butnot123ABCorA12345.
Severalthird-partytoolsareavailableforbuildingregularexpressions.Forexample,RegexBuddy(www.
regexbuddy.com
)isaWindows-basedapplicationforcreatingandtestingregularexpressions.Italsocomeswith
alibraryofprebuiltexpressionsforvariouspatterns,suchaspostalcodes,nationalIDs,andVATcountrycodes.
After you have created and tested a regular expression, you can add it to Acrobat.
Acrobat pattern files
AcrobatstoresredactionpatternsinanXMLfilecalledSearchRedactPatterns.xml.Youcaneditthefileinatext
editorlikeNotepad(Windows)orTextEdit(Mac).Beforemakingchanges,makeacopyofthefile.Youcanuse
existingpatternsasatemplate.Copythetextyouwanttomodifyandplaceitattheendofthefile,andthen
make the changes to create a new pattern.
Tip:
It’seasiertoedittheXMLfileinanapplicationthatunderstandstags,suchasAdobeDreamweaver®
orMicrosoftWord.
Creating a new pattern
To create a new pattern:
1. Quit Acrobat if it is open.
2. Findthesearchpaernle:
• (WindowsXP)
\DocumentsandSeings\<username>\ApplicationData\Adobe\Acrobat\10.0\Preferences\
Redaction\<locale>\SearchRedactPaerns.xml
• (Windows7andVista)
\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\10.0\Preferences\Redaction\<locale>\
SearchRedactPaerns.xml
• (MacIntel)
/Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Adobe/Acrobat/10.0/Redaction/<locale>/
SearchRedactPaerns.xml
Can’t see the le on Windows?
1. IntheControlPanel,chooseFolder Options.
2. ClicktheView tab.
3. Double-clickHidden Files and Folders.
4. EnableShow hidden les and folders.
3. MakeabackupcopyoftheSearchRedactPaerns.xmlle.
4. OpenSearchRedactPaerns.xmlinatexteditor.
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5. Locateapaerntomodify.isexampleusesEntry4.
<setname=”Entry4”>
<strname=”displayName”>
<val>EmailAddresses</val>
</str>
<strname=”regEx”translate=”no”>
<val>([a-zA-Z0-9_])([a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.])*@([a-zA-Z\-])+\.([a-zA-Z\.]+)</val>
</str>
<strname=”examples”>
<val>Thispatternwillsearchforemailaddresses.
Forexample:
John.Doe@acme.com
John_Doe_1234@acme.gov
[email protected].net</val>
</str>
</set>
6. Copytheblockoftextandplaceitjustbeforethelasttaginthele:</asf>.
7. Edittheblock.
a. Givetheblockauniqueentrynumber.
b. Changethedisplayname.isnameappearsinAcrobat.
c. Editthepaern.
d. (Optional)Provideadescriptionandexamples.Althoughthisisoptional,itishelpfulforotherusers.
Careful!Donotdeleteanyquotes(““)orbrackets(<>).
Onlyfillinbetweentheopening<val>andclosing<\val>tags.
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Adobe® Acrobat® X White Paper
Forexample,anewEntry6forCanadianSocialInsurancenumberslookslikethis:
<setname=”Entry6”>
<strname=”displayName”>
<val>CanadianSocialInsuranceNumber</val>
</str>
<strname=”regEx”translate=”no”>
<val>(\b)((\d{3}(-|\s|\.|_)\d{3}(-|\s|\.|_)\d{3})|(\d{9}))(\b)</val>
</str>
<strname=”examples”>
<val>Thispatternwillsearchfor9-digitCanadianSocialInsurancenumbers,eitherconsecutiveor3digitsplus3digitsplus3digits
(separatedbypunctuationmarks).
Forexample:
123-456-789
123456789</val>
</str>
</set>
8. Savethele.
9. Restart Acrobat.
10. ChooseView>Toolbars>RedactionandthenclicktheSearchandRedactbuon.
The new pattern should be in the list.
I edited the file, but the patterns aren’t there!
MakesurethatyoueditedthefileinthePreferencesfolder.
There is an identical file one level up that is easy to grab by mistake.
Adding overlay text and exemption codes to a redaction mark
Overlaytextappearsontopofaredactionmarkandremainspresentafterredactionsareapplied.Theoverlay
textisusefulforgovernmentagenciesthatarerequiredtomakedocumentspublicortoplaceacodeorother
mark on top of the redaction to meet agency guidelines.
To add overlay text to a redaction mark:
1. Createaredactionmark.
2. Right-click the redaction mark and choose Properties.
3. SelectUseOverlay Text.
4. In the Custom Texteld, type the overlay text.
5. ClickOK.
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To add an exemption code to a redaction mark:
1. Createaredactionmark.
2. Right-click the redaction mark and choose the appropriate custom exemption code that appears in the
menu and the appropriate code.
3. Repeat for as many exemption codes as needed per redaction.
Creating custom exemption code sets
Youcancreatecustomexemptioncodestoaddtoaredactionmark.
1. Createaredactionmark.
2. Right-click the redaction mark and choose Properties.
3. ClicktheEdit Codesbuon.
4. ClicktheAdd Setbuon.
5. Changethenameofthesetintheentryeld,andclicktheRename Setbuon.
6. ClicktheAdd Codebuon.
7. Changethenameofthecodeintheentryeld,andclicktheRename Codebuon.
8. Repeat step 7 for as many codes as needed.
9. ClickOK when you are nished.
Best practices summary
Keepinthemindthefollowingwhentakingonprojectsthatrequireredaction.
• Do not forget to apply redactions!Simplymarkingtextandgraphicsdoesnotactuallyremoveit.
• StreamlinetheredactionprocessusingAcrobatXActions.YoucanuseActionstodothefollowing:
– Prompt users to manually redact pages
– PerformWordListredaction
– Apply redactions
• CarefullyreviewscanneddocumentsbecauseOCRisnotafoolproofprocess.eSearchandRedactfeature
nds text only in searchable documents.
• Reviewalldocumentspriortosubmission.Atwo-personreviewteamcatchesmanymoreerrorsthana
single person.
• Knowyourcourtrulesandjudge’sordersregardingredaction.Asktheclerkofthecourtforclaricationifyou
need more information.
• Don’tskiptheexaminedocumentstep.Inexperiencedusersmightonlycoverupinformationinelectronic
sourcesandmistakenlybelieveitisredacted.eExamineDocumentfeaturecandetectandxtheseissues.
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