How to white out a PDF

Cover a mistake, an old date or a stray mark with a clean white box — like correction fluid, but without the drying time — and type the new content on top.

Do it now in the free PDF editorOpens in your browser. No sign-up, no watermark — your PDF is never uploaded.

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White out a PDF in four steps

Open the PDF editor and choose your PDF.
Pick Whiteout and drag a box over the area you want to hide.
Pick Text, click on the white area and type the replacement.
Click Download to save the PDF.

When to use Whiteout

Hiding a handwritten note, stamp or scribble before printing a clean copy.
Clearing old answers on a form so it can be filled in again.
Covering a logo or a part of an image.
Removing page numbers or headers from a scan before adding your own.

When not to use Whiteout

Never rely on whiteout to hide confidential information. The covered text is still inside the PDF: anyone can select it, copy it into another document, or remove the box. Bank details, ID numbers, health information and anything covered by privacy law should be removed with Redact, which deletes the content from the file when you download.

Tips

Make the box slightly bigger than the text so no edges of letters peek out.
On a colored background, pick a custom color for the box so it blends in.
Select several whiteout boxes with Shift+click to move or delete them together.
Newer items are drawn on top, so add the whiteout first and the text second. If the text ends up under the box, select the box and send it backward with Ctrl+[.

Frequently asked questions

Does whiteout delete the text under it?

No. Whiteout covers the content visually; the original is still in the file and can be copied out or found by search. To delete content, use Redact.

Can the box be a color other than white?

Yes. Select a whiteout box and choose white, light gray or black, or pick a custom color that matches a colored background.

Is there a faster way to replace a line of text?

Yes — Edit text. Click a line and retype it; the editor covers the original and matches its font, size and color automatically.

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