PDF Bench

PDF guides for privacy, redaction, and safer sharing

The tools help you change a file. The guides help you make the right call before you share it. Start here if you're deciding between redaction and sanitization, wondering what local processing actually protects, or need a checklist before a PDF goes out.

Start here

  • Use the redaction guides when something sensitive is visible on the page.
  • Use the sanitization guides when the risk is hidden — metadata, attachments, or other stuff buried inside the file.
  • Use the workflow guides when you need a practical checklist before sending a file.

Featured guides

  • Privacy: Your PDFs are never uploaded to our servers — we never see them. Learn how PDF Bench processes files locally in your browser and what we do and don't track.
  • Redaction Guide: A black rectangle over text isn't always enough — the hidden text can still be copied out. Learn how burn-in redaction actually removes sensitive content.
  • Sanitize vs Redact: Not sure whether to sanitize or redact? Sanitize removes hidden metadata. Redact removes visible content. Learn when to use each — or both — before sharing.
  • Remove PDF Metadata: PDFs can carry hidden info you didn't mean to share — author names, timestamps, embedded files, and more. Learn how to clean it up before sending.

Workflow guides

  • Redaction Checklist: A quick checklist to run through before sharing a redacted PDF — so you don't accidentally miss a page, leave hidden text, or send the wrong file.
  • Share a PDF Safely: Before you hit send, check the content, the metadata, the filename, and where it's going. A short walkthrough for sharing PDFs without surprises.
  • Merge PDFs Without Uploading: Need one PDF without handing the source files to a cloud service? Here is a simple workflow for merging PDFs locally in your browser.
  • Split a PDF into Separate Files: Pull out page ranges, make one file per page, or break a large PDF into smaller chunks without uploading the document first.
  • How to Redact a PDF Safely: A safe PDF redaction workflow is more than drawing black boxes. Here is how to remove visible content and verify the exported file before sharing it.
  • Remove Metadata Before Emailing: Before you email a PDF outside your team, strip hidden metadata that can reveal author info, timestamps, or attachments you did not mean to share.

What these guides are meant to do

  • Explain the tradeoffs behind each tool in plain language.
  • Call out mistakes that can leave sensitive information behind.
  • Give you a practical checklist to run before you hit send.

More guides

  • Quick Clean vs Flattened Copy: The Sanitize tool has two modes: quick clean and flattened copy. Here's how to pick the right one for your situation.
  • Local PDF Processing: When a PDF tool runs "locally," your files stay on your device. Here's what that means in practice, what it protects, and what it doesn't cover.
  • Add Page Numbers After Merging: Merge several PDFs first, then add one clean page sequence so the final packet reads like a single document.

All guides

  • Privacy: Your PDFs are never uploaded to our servers — we never see them. Learn how PDF Bench processes files locally in your browser and what we do and don't track.
  • Redaction Guide: A black rectangle over text isn't always enough — the hidden text can still be copied out. Learn how burn-in redaction actually removes sensitive content.
  • Sanitize vs Redact: Not sure whether to sanitize or redact? Sanitize removes hidden metadata. Redact removes visible content. Learn when to use each — or both — before sharing.
  • Remove PDF Metadata: PDFs can carry hidden info you didn't mean to share — author names, timestamps, embedded files, and more. Learn how to clean it up before sending.
  • Redaction Checklist: A quick checklist to run through before sharing a redacted PDF — so you don't accidentally miss a page, leave hidden text, or send the wrong file.
  • Quick Clean vs Flattened Copy: The Sanitize tool has two modes: quick clean and flattened copy. Here's how to pick the right one for your situation.
  • Local PDF Processing: When a PDF tool runs "locally," your files stay on your device. Here's what that means in practice, what it protects, and what it doesn't cover.
  • Share a PDF Safely: Before you hit send, check the content, the metadata, the filename, and where it's going. A short walkthrough for sharing PDFs without surprises.
  • Merge PDFs Without Uploading: Need one PDF without handing the source files to a cloud service? Here is a simple workflow for merging PDFs locally in your browser.
  • Split a PDF into Separate Files: Pull out page ranges, make one file per page, or break a large PDF into smaller chunks without uploading the document first.
  • How to Redact a PDF Safely: A safe PDF redaction workflow is more than drawing black boxes. Here is how to remove visible content and verify the exported file before sharing it.
  • Remove Metadata Before Emailing: Before you email a PDF outside your team, strip hidden metadata that can reveal author info, timestamps, or attachments you did not mean to share.
  • Add Page Numbers After Merging: Merge several PDFs first, then add one clean page sequence so the final packet reads like a single document.