Enter the known password
The password is used only to open the PDF in this tab and is never sent or stored.
Private PDF safety suite
Safe, polished and
ready to share.
Check hidden risks, permanently protect sensitive content, and prepare a professional final PDF—all locally in your browser.
01 · Inspect
Privacy Scanner
Find metadata, saved form values, scripts, attachments and failed redactions.
Scan a PDF → 02 · ProtectProtect PDF
Permanently redact sensitive areas, apply watermarks and create a safer sharing copy.
Protect a PDF → 03 · UnlockRemove Password
Use the current open password to create a new password-free sharing copy.
Unlock a PDF → 04 · StyleLook Scanned
Create a realistic printed-and-scanned appearance with private local processing.
Explore scan effects →One private workflow.No document uploads · Core tools are free · Optional Pro features are planned
Private, read-only PDF inspection
Check your PDF
before you share it.
Find metadata and structural features that may disclose more than the visible pages. Your file is examined locally and never leaves this browser.
Local processing — no file upload ·
Inspection report
Review recommended
—
Create a safer sharing copy
Remove metadata, embedded files, automatic actions and saved form values. Your original file stays unchanged.
This is a preliminary structural inspection, not a security guarantee.
It cannot determine whether visible page content itself contains information you intended to remove.
Remove PDF open password
Unlock a PDF.
Keep it private.
Enter the password you already know and create a new password-free copy. The PDF and its password stay inside this browser tab.
Ready to unlock
The correct password was confirmed locally. Choose the output quality, then create a new copy.
You must know the document's current open password. GuardMyPDF does not guess, crack or bypass passwords.
Rebuild visible pages
Each page is rendered at your selected quality and placed into a new PDF without password protection.
Download a new copy
Your original stays unchanged. Review the password-free output before sharing or archiving it.
Important output change
The unlocked copy is intentionally flattened. Visible appearance is preserved, but searchable text, links, editable forms, accessibility tags, digital signatures and hidden PDF structures are not retained.
Make PDF look scanned
A realistic scan look.
No physical scanner.
Add paper tone, subtle noise, contrast and natural page rotation while keeping the document on your device.
Plans · transparent preview
Core tools are free.
Pro features are planned.
There is nothing to purchase today and no account is required. The paid options below are an early roadmap, not a current offer.
$0
For occasional single-file tasks.
- Complete privacy scan
- Single-file Clean Copy
- Manual redaction and watermark
- 150/200/300 DPI output
- Look Scanned presets
Not yet available
Proposed for a one-off document project.
- All Pro features for 24 hours
- No recurring subscription
- High-resolution exports
- Batch processing
- Purchase recovery by email
Not yet available
Proposed for regular professional workflows.
- Batch privacy cleanup
- Smart Redact and OCR
- 400/600 DPI output
- Saved local presets
- Verification reports
Your account never becomes a document store.
We plan to retain only your email, membership status and billing identifiers. PDF names, contents, findings, OCR text and redaction areas remain on your device.
| Capability | Free | Day Pass | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy scanning | Unlimited single files | Included | Included |
| Batch processing | — | Included | Included |
| Smart Redact & OCR | — | Included | Included |
| Maximum quality | 300 DPI | 600 DPI | 600 DPI |
| Saved presets | On this browser | On this browser | Cloud sync planned |
| Advertising | None | None | None |
Security model
Your PDF stays
on your device.
The document is read and modified inside this browser tab. Our planned account service will verify membership, but it will not receive document contents.
Local processing
PDF parsing, page rendering, privacy checks, redaction, watermarking and scan effects run in your browser.
No document storage
We do not need to store PDF files, names, extracted text, findings, fingerprints or redaction coordinates.
New output files
Cleanup and protection create new downloads. Your original document is never overwritten.
Know the limits
Malformed, encrypted, image-only or unusually encoded files may not be fully inspected. High-stakes documents still require professional review.
Privacy policy
Collect less.
Protect more.
This policy explains how Guard My PDF handles information while providing its browser-based PDF tools.
Operator
Guard My PDF (ABN 11 613 912 439) operates this service from Australia.
Documents
Selected PDFs are processed locally in your browser and are not intentionally transmitted to us. We do not store document names, contents, passwords, extracted text, findings, fingerprints or edits.
Anonymous feature counts
We may count aggregate events such as a scan completing or a protected PDF being downloaded, grouped by date, page and broad device category. These counters do not use visitor IDs, cookies or accounts and do not contain IP addresses, filenames, document details, passwords, findings or error messages. Browser Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals disable these feature events.
Hosting data
Our hosting provider may process standard technical information such as IP addresses, requests, errors and performance data to deliver and secure the website. This information does not intentionally include document contents.
Accounts and payments
If accounts or paid services launch, we may process your email address, internal user identifier, membership status and billing-provider identifiers. Payments will be handled by a payment provider; we will not directly store complete card numbers.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests, email support@guardmypdf.com.
Terms of use
Clear expectations
before you process.
Operator
This service is operated by Guard My PDF (ABN 11 613 912 439), an Australian business.
Preliminary tools
The service assists with PDF inspection and preparation. A clean result is not a guarantee that a document contains no sensitive information.
Your responsibility
You must have permission to process each document and must review every generated file before sharing it. You remain responsible for deciding whether an output is suitable for its intended use.
Redaction and conversion
Protected or scan-effect outputs may flatten pages and remove search, links, forms, accessibility information, metadata and digital signatures. Keep your original file and verify every output.
Availability
Features may change during preview and the service may occasionally be unavailable. Any paid plans, refunds and additional commercial terms will be presented before purchase.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia, without excluding any rights that cannot lawfully be excluded in your location.
Contact
Email support@guardmypdf.com.
Contact
Questions, bugs
or security concerns?
One address keeps support simple. Email us and include the tool name, browser and a description of the problem. Do not attach a confidential PDF unless we specifically ask for a safe test file.
Usage questions and PDF compatibility reports.
support@guardmypdf.comResponsible disclosure, privacy questions and data requests.
support@guardmypdf.comGuide
How to redact a PDF
without leaving text behind.
Drawing a black rectangle is not enough. The underlying text can remain searchable, selectable and recoverable.
1. Inspect the document
Check forms, annotations, hidden layers, attachments and revision history before editing visible pages.
2. Mark the exact area
Cover the complete sensitive item, including labels or context that may identify it indirectly.
3. Permanently remove it
Use destructive redaction or create a flattened page image. Do not rely on drawing annotations.
4. Rewrite and verify
Save a new file, search for the removed value, copy page text and scan the new PDF again.
Open Protect PDF →Guide
What information can
a PDF reveal?
A PDF may contain more than the visible page: author names, applications, form entries, comments, attachments, scripts and older revisions.
Document properties and XMP
Author, creator, producer, dates, title and keywords may be available to recipients and document systems.
Interactive content
Forms can retain current or default values. Comments may identify reviewers. Attachments travel inside the PDF.
Revision traces
Some editors append changes instead of rewriting the file, leaving older objects physically present.
Safer sharing workflow
Inspect the PDF, create a cleaned copy, review the visible content and verify the final download.
Scan a PDF →Free private PDF tool
Remove PDF metadata
before you share.
Find and remove author names, document titles, creator applications, producer details and XMP metadata. Processing stays in your browser and your original file is unchanged.
See what is stored
Inspect both normal document properties and the separate XMP metadata packet.
Create a clean copy
Rewrite a new PDF without metadata, saved form values, embedded files or automatic actions.
Verify the result
The downloaded copy becomes the active file and is scanned again before you continue.
Keep files private
Your PDF, filename, password and findings are never sent to a document-processing server.
What PDF metadata can contain
A PDF may identify its author, the software that created it, creation and modification dates, a document title, subject and keywords. XMP can duplicate those details even after ordinary properties appear to be cleared.
Does removing metadata change the pages?
For ordinary PDFs, GuardMyPDF removes hidden structural information while preserving visible pages. Password-protected PDFs are rebuilt as a high-quality flattened sharing copy after local unlocking.
Is metadata removal enough?
No. Names, account numbers and images printed on the page remain visible. Inspect the clean copy and continue to Protect PDF when visible information also needs permanent redaction.
Permanent local redaction
Redact a PDF
without hidden text.
Draw over sensitive information, permanently flatten the selected areas and verify the new PDF. A black rectangle alone is not a safe redaction.
Select exact areas
Draw directly on the high-resolution page preview and undo selections before export.
Remove the content
Selected regions are burned into newly rendered pages rather than placed over recoverable text.
Choose output quality
Export at 150, 200 or 300 DPI while keeping the original PDF untouched.
Verify after export
The protected download is automatically checked for remaining high-risk structural items.
Why black boxes can fail
Shapes, highlights and annotations can hide text visually while leaving the original characters searchable and extractable. GuardMyPDF’s scanner identifies black shapes that overlap recoverable text.
What permanent redaction changes
The protected copy uses flattened page images, so selectable text, interactive forms and links are no longer retained. This is intentional: the goal is a safer final sharing copy.
What should be checked manually?
Review every page for names, signatures, barcodes, QR codes, photographs and context that may indirectly identify a person. Automated detection cannot decide what is sensitive in your situation.
Custom PDF watermark
Add a watermark
exactly where you want it.
Add recipient names, confidentiality notices or usage restrictions with live preview. Adjust position, repetition, density, opacity, angle, size and colour.
Preview before export
See the watermark on every page while changing its text and appearance.
Flexible placement
Use full-page tiles, a centre row, one centred mark or any page corner.
Control repetition
Increase or reduce density so the watermark supports the document without hiding it.
No repeated stacking
Exporting again always starts from the original active file, so preview watermarks are not accumulated.
When should a PDF be watermarked?
Watermarks can communicate confidentiality, identify the intended recipient or discourage uncontrolled redistribution. They do not encrypt the file or prevent screenshots.
Will the PDF lose quality?
A normal, unencrypted PDF with watermark only receives a vector watermark at original document quality. Files that also require permanent redaction are flattened at the selected DPI.
Does a watermark remove private information?
No. A watermark is an added notice, not redaction. Use Privacy Scanner and permanent redaction when the document contains information the recipient should not receive.
Inspection coverage
A PDF can reveal more than its pages.
Document metadata
Author, title, creator, producer, dates and XMP metadata markers.
Active content
JavaScript, launch actions and automatic actions that deserve review.
Embedded material
File attachments, forms, annotations and optional content groups.
Revision traces
Multiple end-of-file markers that can indicate incremental saves.
How privacy works
Your document stays on your device.
The scanner reads the selected file into this browser tab. It does not send the file name, contents, findings or fingerprint to a server.
The current prototype performs a conservative structural pass. Later releases will use a locally bundled PDF parser for page-level object analysis—never a remote parsing API.
Important limitations
Know what a scan cannot prove.
No automated checker can prove that a document contains no sensitive information. Image-only pages, malformed files, encrypted objects and unusual encodings may prevent complete analysis.
A clean result means only that this version of the scanner did not detect the listed structural risks. High-stakes documents still need professional review.