Topic · Autessa Redact
Permanent Redaction and Redacted PDFs in Drive
When you burn, Autessa Redact removes what is under every box, not just covers it, and saves the redacted PDF to a Drive folder you choose.
Borrower Kenji Watanabe SSN 078-05-1120
copy/paste → “Kenji Watanabe 078-05-1120”
A black shape over live text
Borrower SSN
copy/paste → “Borrower SSN”
Flattened, text layer rebuilt
In this topic
What is in burn and save?
Burn redactions in for good: flattened pages, a rebuilt searchable text layer, optional labels, links removed, a draft preview, and a clean PDF saved to Drive. Each feature has its own page with how it works, its settings and FAQs.
Permanent redaction
Autessa Redact’s redactions are permanent: every page is flattened so nothing survives under a box, and a searchable text layer is rebuilt from what is left.
Read more →Redaction labels
Autessa Redact lets you label each redaction, keep a palette of up to 20 quick labels, and print the labels in white on the black boxes if you want readers to see why.
Read more →Link removal
Autessa Redact removes any link that sits under a redaction, and Break all links strips every hyperlink from the saved PDF.
Read more →Burn preview
Autessa Redact can open a draft of the burned file before you save, so you see exactly what readers will get.
Read more →Save redacted copies to Drive
Autessa Redact saves each redacted PDF straight into a Drive folder you choose, where it has versions, sharing and search like any other file.
Read more →At a glance
How Autessa Redact handles burn and save
Permanent redaction →
- The output is always a PDF, named <name>_redacted.pdf by default.
- Every page is flattened, so text, images and drawings under a box are gone.
- A searchable text layer is rebuilt from the text that is left, so the redacted file is still searchable and copyable.
Redaction labels →
- Default quick labels: SSN, Name, Phone, Email, Address, DOB, Account #, Signature, Medical and Confidential.
- Edit the palette in Label settings: add, remove and reorder up to 20 labels.
- Type any label on the spot; typed labels work even when they are not in the palette.
Link removal →
- Links under a box are marked “Link removed, it will not be in the saved file” in the editor.
- Break all links removes every hyperlink in the output.
- The Burn and save dialog confirms when all links will be removed.
Burn preview →
- Opens a draft of the burned file in a new browser tab.
- Applies Show labels on the burned file and Break all links as currently set.
- Nothing is saved to Drive and nothing is deleted until you burn and save.
Save redacted copies to Drive →
- Pick any Drive and folder you can write to, in a folder picker inside the burn dialog.
- The default folder is Redacted/, and Redact remembers your last choice.
- The saved file is an ordinary Drive file: versions, sharing and search work like any other.
FAQ
Questions about burn and save
How do I permanently redact a PDF?
Mark what to hide in Autessa Redact and click Burn and save. Every page is flattened so nothing under a box survives, and the redacted PDF is saved to Drive.
Can I show why something was redacted?
Yes. Label the box and turn on Show labels on the burned file. The label is printed in white on the black box.
Does redacting a link remove the link itself?
Yes. A link under a box is removed from the saved file, not just covered.
Can I see the redacted PDF before saving it?
Yes. Open a draft of the burned file in a new tab from the editor. Nothing is saved until you burn and save.
100% customizable, code and all
Make Autessa Redact fully your own.
Use it out of the box, then change anything. Ask Autobot, Autessa’s AI builder, for a new field, screen, report, workflow or agent and it builds it into your copy of the app. Or open the code and edit it yourself. Nothing is locked: the app, its data and its code are yours.
Start free and make it yours