Is this image redaction tool free?
Yes. Blurring, pixelating, and filling areas of an image is completely free with no sign-up or limits.
Does it upload my image to a server?
No. The editing runs entirely in your browser so the image stays on your device while you redact it. Nothing is uploaded.
When should I blur instead of pixelate?
Blur is better for softening a detail without a harsh look, while pixelation reads more clearly as an intentional redaction. For fully unreadable areas, use solid fill.
Why include a solid fill option?
Some screenshots and documents need a stronger mask than blur or pixelation. A flat fill is the clearest choice when the hidden area must be completely unreadable.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The tool runs in any modern browser, including mobile, so you can redact an image directly on your phone before sharing it.
Blur or pixelate: which is more secure?
Neither is secure for text. Both are reversible in principle when the underlying content comes from a small set of possibilities, which is exactly the case for numbers, names, and rendered UI strings. For a face or a photographic background, both are fine. For anything you actually need hidden, use the solid fill.
How big should the pixel blocks be?
Larger than the thing you are hiding. If the text is 14 pixels tall, blocks of 8 pixels will still show you the shape of each character. Push the block size until the region is unreadable when you zoom out and squint, which is a surprisingly good proxy for what a reconstruction attack can recover.
Can I apply several effects to the same image?
Yes. Each rectangle you draw is added to a stack, and you can mix blur, pixelate, and solid fill across one image. The stack is applied in order onto a fresh copy of the original, so you can revert the last action or clear everything without reloading the file.
Does the exported file still contain the original pixels?
No. Every action is rendered onto a flat canvas and the file is encoded from that canvas alone, so what you download contains only the modified pixels. There is no hidden layer, no undo history in the file, and re-encoding also drops the source image's metadata.
Is the image uploaded to apply the effect?
No. Decoding, blurring, pixelating, filling, and encoding all run in the page on your own device, which is why this is safe for a photo of a person or a screenshot of an internal tool. The only network call is a credit counter carrying the tool name.