Why this redactor defaults to solid bars
Pixelated text is not safely hidden. In 2020 the open-source tool Depix showed that pixelated passwords in screenshots could be recovered by rendering candidate text in the same font and comparing block averages; later research extended the idea. A solid bar leaves nothing to compare.
If you prefer pixels for appearance, safety mode adds random noise and a random grid offset, and keeps block sizes large — but for text, bars are the honest recommendation.
What gets removed
The download is a new image built from the edited pixels:
- No EXIF, GPS, camera or software tags — the browser's encoder writes none.
- No layers, no hidden original underneath the bars, no edit history.
- PNG by default, so screenshot text around the bars stays crisp.
Screenshots
Paste a screenshot straight from the clipboard with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V. Choose black, white or grey bars to match the interface you captured. There is no text recognition: you mark the lines, so nothing is redacted that you did not see and approve.
Questions
Can bars added here be removed later?
No. The exported file contains only the final pixels. Unlike a PDF annotation or a layered file, there is no original underneath the bar.
Is pixelation safe for hiding text?
Not reliably. Tools such as Depix have recovered pixelated text by matching block averages against rendered fonts. Use solid bars for text, numbers and codes.
Does it find text automatically?
No — there is no text-recognition model here, so you draw the boxes. It can find faces automatically if the screenshot or photo contains people.
Will the file still contain my location?
No. EXIF metadata, including GPS, is not written to the exported file.
Which format should I save in?
PNG for screenshots and documents: it keeps sharp text sharp. JPG is smaller for camera photos.