Goal: take a 10-page confidential PDF with sensitive content on three pages, redact everything that shouldn't leave the company, download. Sixty seconds.
Clock starts now.
0:00–0:10 — Open in Flint
Open Flint redact, drag the PDF in. Document loads locally; data doesn't leave your machine. Ten seconds.
0:10–0:40 — Draw redaction boxes
Navigate to each sensitive page. Click and drag to draw a black box over each piece of sensitive content. For a typical 3-page redaction set, expect 8–10 boxes.
Each box takes 2–3 seconds. Total drawing time: 25–30 seconds.
0:40–0:50 — Apply redactions
Click apply. The browser removes the underlying content (text or image), leaving only the visible black boxes. The content is truly gone, not just covered.
This step is what makes Flint's redaction actually secure, vs cheap redaction tools that only draw rectangles.
0:50–1:00 — Download and rename
Download. Rename to `<original>_redacted.pdf`. Done. Under a minute, properly redacted, safe to share.
Keep the original unredacted in a restricted folder; the redacted version goes to the distribution channel.
FAQ
How do I know the redaction is real?
Open the redacted PDF, try to copy text from the redacted area. If nothing copies, the content is truly removed. If you can copy the original text, it's not real redaction.
Can I undo a redaction after applying?
Within the same session, yes. After download and re-open, the redacted content is permanently gone — that's the point. Keep an unredacted backup.
What about metadata?
Proper PDF redaction also strips sensitive metadata (author, original filename). Verify by opening Document Properties.
Can I redact images too?
Yes — draw the box over the image and apply. The underlying image data is removed in the redacted output.
Sixty seconds. Properly redacted. Safe to share. Run your next redaction speedrun in Flint.