Inkout

Why a black box often isn't a redaction

Most leaked redactions weren't hacked. Someone copied the text out from under a rectangle. These are the three common failures, and what Inkout does instead.

Failure 1 · Covered, not removed

The text is still in the file

A black shape or highlight drawn in a PDF editor sits on top of the words. Select, copy and paste, and the "hidden" text comes right back.

Failure 2 · Blur and pixelation

Blurs can be reversed

Blurred or mosaicked text, faces and plates keep enough of the original pattern to be guessed or reconstructed. Inkout only offers solid fills.

Failure 3 · Hidden metadata

The file talks about itself

PDFs carry author names and edit history. Phone photos carry camera model, time and often GPS location in their EXIF data.

What Inkout does

Flatten, paint, rebuild, verify

Every page becomes pixels, boxes overwrite those pixels, and a fresh file is assembled from the images alone. Then the output is opened again and checked for any text or metadata.

Terms of use

Last updated October 18, 2026

These terms cover your use of Inkout at inkout.net, including the free tool and Inkout Pro. By using Inkout you agree to them.

1. What Inkout does

Inkout is a tool for covering parts of PDFs and images. It works inside your web browser: your files are processed on your own device and are not sent to us.

2. You are responsible for your redactions

Inkout helps you remove content, but you decide what to cover. Automatic search can miss text, and it cannot read scanned pages or photos. Before you share any file, open the output and check that everything sensitive is covered. Inkout does not provide legal advice, and using it does not by itself make a redaction legally sufficient for any purpose.

3. Inkout Pro

4. Acceptable use

Don't use Inkout to forge, falsify or alter documents in order to deceive anyone, or for anything illegal.

5. No warranty

Inkout is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, including that it will be error-free or that it will find or remove every piece of sensitive information.

6. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential damages, or for any loss arising from information that was not redacted. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim.

7. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. When we do, we'll change the date at the top of this page. Continuing to use Inkout after an update means you accept the new terms.

8. Contact

Questions about these terms:

Unlock Inkout Pro

Paste the license key from your purchase email. It's checked with Lemon Squeezy, our payment provider. Your files are never involved.

Lost your key? It's in your receipt email, or look up your order on Lemon Squeezy's My Orders page with the email you used at checkout.

This is a Pro feature