Censor Image Online

How to Censor an Image

1. 1

   Add a picture

   Drop a JPG, PNG, HEIC or WebP on the tool, choose it from your files or photos, or paste it.

2. 2

   Draw your boxes

   Drag over each part you want to hide, then pick Black box, Blur or Pixelate.

3. 3

   Save image

   Press the button, check the preview and download the new picture.

Censor Image Online

You censor an image by covering the parts that others should not see, such as a face, a license plate, an address or a number. Draw a box over each one, choose how to cover it, and save. The tool gives you a new picture with the covers built in.

The saved picture does not copy the hidden details of the original photo, such as where it was taken. To strip those details from a photo or PDF without covering anything, use the metadata remover.

Redact Image: What the Tool Does

This tool lets you redact an image in your browser. Drag on the picture to draw as many boxes as you need, then move, resize or delete them. Pick one cover for the whole picture: a black box, blur or pixelate. The preview updates as you draw, and Save image makes a new file.

The saved picture has the same width and height as the original, unless it is very large. A PNG stays a PNG, so a screenshot keeps its sharp text. JPG, HEIC and WebP pictures are compressed again as a high-quality JPG, and a WebP with transparency is saved as a PNG. The covered pixels are replaced, so the original pixels under a box are not in the file. The name is the original name with -redacted added.

• A black box is the only cover that cannot be undone. Blur and pixelation of text can sometimes be reversed or guessed with software, especially on screenshots. Use the black box for names, addresses, account numbers and passwords.
• You draw every box by hand. The tool does not find faces or text for you.
• Boxes are rectangles, with one cover style per picture. One picture at a time, images only, not PDFs.
• A black box still shows how long the hidden text was, and letters that stick out past the box can give text away. Draw the box a little larger than the text and check the preview before you share.
• Up to 100 MB on a computer and 30 MB on a phone. A picture over 16 megapixels, or with a side over 8,192 pixels, is scaled down, and the tool shows the size it saves at.
• The tool saves a new file. The original on your device still shows everything, and so does any copy you already sent.
• The tool covers what you choose. It gives no legal advice and cannot promise that a result meets any rule for redaction.

Blur Image or Pixelate Image

Blur softens an area until the detail is gone. Pixelate turns it into large squares. Both look natural on backgrounds and faces. Neither is the safe choice for text. The blur and the square size follow the size of each box, so a bigger box gets a stronger blur and bigger squares.

There is no strength setting. If a soft cover is not enough, draw a bigger box or switch to the black box. Security researchers at Bishop Fox showed pixelated text being recovered, and they recommend black bars over the whole text.

Blur Face and Blur Text in Image

To blur a face, draw a box over it and choose Blur. To blur text in an image, draw a box over the text, but choose the black box if the text is private. Blur on text can sometimes be undone, so a name, an address or a password needs a solid cover.

Phone screenshots open at full width, so you can cover a line of text in one pass. Zoom with the plus and minus buttons to place a box exactly. To read text from a picture instead, try image to text. To turn a photo of paper into a clean PDF, use the online document scanner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Never Use Text Pixelation To Redact Sensitive Information (Bishop Fox)

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