Finalize Redaction & Redaction Certificate

Once you've reviewed and completed your redactions, the final step is finalizing the document. Finalizing permanently applies all redactions to the PDF, ensuring the underlying information can no longer be recovered, no hidden text, no reversible black boxes.

When you download your finalized document, you also have the option to include a Redaction Certificate, giving you a complete audit trail of the redaction process for compliance, recordkeeping, and demonstrating exactly how and when the document was processed.

This is the last step in the redaction workflow, and the one that turns your reviewed document into a secure, shareable, permanently redacted file.

Why it matter 

Finalizing your document and generating a Redaction Certificate is designed to give you a secure, defensible end result by:

• Permanently removing sensitive information: Redactions are burned into the document, not just masked or hidden.
• Producing a secure, shareable PDF: Once finalized, the document is ready to send, submit, or store without risk of the underlying data being recovered.
• Optionally including a Redaction Certificate: Attach a certificate that documents the redaction process for auditing and compliance purposes.
• Providing a record of document activity: Capture upload, redaction, and finalization details in one place.

Unlike tools that simply hide or mask information, Redactable permanently burns redactions into the finalized document, so sensitive data can't be recovered later. The optional Redaction Certificate adds another layer of transparency by documenting the redaction process itself, helping your organization meet compliance and documentation requirements without keeping separate manual records.

Using Finalize Redaction & Redaction Certificate

Finalize your redactions

1. Once you've finished reviewing your document, click Finalize Redaction in the upper-right corner.

    2. Redactable will process your document and prepare the finalized version for download.

Download the finalized document

1. After the document has been finalized, the download window will appear.
2. Enable Attach Redaction Certificate if you'd like the certificate included with your download.
   
   

    3. Click Download File to save the finalized PDF.

About the Redaction Certificate

The Redaction Certificate includes:

• Total number of redactions
• Number of pages containing redactions
• Date and time the document was uploaded
• User who uploaded the document
• User who performed the redactions
• User who finalized the document
• Redaction history and activity log

If you have additional questions or need help, please contact us at support@redactable.com.