Adobe Redact not working?? A comprehensive guide to troubleshooting Adobe Acrobat Pro

When Adobe Acrobat Pro fails during crucial moments, it can be incredibly frustrating. Professionals juggling tight deadlines and numerous documents that need redacting can't afford to waste time calling technical support to ask “How do I redact in Adobe?” They need quick, effective solutions.

Are you struggling with an unresponsive "Apply redactions" button? Or perhaps you've noticed redactions appearing incorrectly across multiple pages? These issues can significantly hinder your workflow and productivity.

If you're trying to figure out why is Adobe Redact not working, you're not alone. Many users face similar challenges, and we're here to help. This comprehensive guide offers practical solutions to get Adobe functioning properly again, allowing you to complete your redaction tasks efficiently.

We'll look at common Adobe Redact problems and provide step-by-step troubleshooting techniques. From simple fixes to more advanced solutions, we've got you covered. Our goal is to help you overcome these technical hurdles and get back to your important work without delay.

Let's explore why you might find your Adobe redaction tool not working, how to white out in Adobe PDF, and uncover the solutions you need to streamline your document redaction process.

What you need to know about Adobe Acrobat Pro redactor

Whenever you run into a software issue, it’s a good idea to take a second look at what the application is designed to do so that you know what you’re dealing with. 

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Adobe Acrobat Pro is a PDF management platform that supports creating, editing, and organizing PDF files. Its optical character recognition (OCR) technology enables you to transform paper or digital documents into editable PDF files. It is also frequently used as a tool for redaction, thanks to its supplemental Adobe Redact function that lets you manually redact one document at a time. 

With Adobe Redact, you can use the “Find Text” option to search for specific text in your files, and then use the software’s click-and-drag feature to select the content you want to redact.

The Adobe Acrobat PDF tool offers some customization options and supports changing the default black-out boxes used for redaction to colored boxes, redaction codes, colorful figures, and patterns or simply keeping the redacted area blank. 

The “Remove Hidden Information” feature redacts images and text, while the “Sanitize” option can be checked to remove hidden document elements, metadata, attachments, etc.

How do I redact in Adobe Acrobat Pro?

If you are facing issues with Adobe redact not working, your problem might be as simple as missing a necessary step in the correct process. Let’s take a look at the expected workflow when the tool is functioning well:

How to redact a PDF you authored

When you’re the author, follow these steps to redact your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro:

1. Open Adobe and select the PDF file you want to redact
2. Click on “Tools” and select “Redact” from the drop-down menu
3. Choose the text or image you want redacted by clicking on the content or dragging your cursor over it
4. Right-click and select “Redact” from the right-click floating menu.

5. Click “Apply” or “Save As” to finalize your redactions.
6. Toggle the “Sanitize and Remove Hidden Information” in the “Apply Redactions” box to remove metadata, bookmarks, hidden text, etc.

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7. You can also select “Repeat Mark Across Pages” to automatically apply the redaction to the same elements if they appear on multiple pages. 

How do I redact in Adobe to remove specific text from my PDF

To remove specific text and keywords that appear multiple times throughout your PDF file, you can use the “Find Text” feature:

1. Open the PDF file.
2. Select “All tools” > “View more” > “Redact a PDF”.
3. Click on “Find text and redact” from the menu

1. Search for specific words by choosing “Single word or phrase.”
2. For many, click on “Multiple words or phrase” > “Select words”. Type in the “New Word or Phrase” for every instance. Click on “Add.”
3. Select “Patterns” to redact the same type of information (addresses, social security numbers, credit card numbers, etc.).
4. Click “Search & Remove Text.”
5. Click “Apply” or “Save As.”

How to white out in Adobe PDF

If you’re looking to white out PDF Adobe Acrobat Pro allows you to do that by following these steps:

1. Start Adobe Acrobat and open your document
2. Click the “Redact a PDF” tool under “All tools” in the upper toolbar
3. Select “Redact text and images
4. Click-and-Drag to select the images and text you want to white out
5. Then, right click on the area and change the “Redacted area fill color” to “White”
6. Click “OK” to approve the changes
7. Click “Save As.”

Redacting signed documents in Adobe Acrobat Pro

Finally, let’s look at how to redact documents that have been signed in Adobe. Adobe Acrobat Sign Solutions is used by authors to lock a document to prevent edits and redactions from being made on signed PDF files by users other than the original author for legal and commercial purposes. 

While the author can edit the document freely, you need to ask the original signatory to remove their digital signature if you want to redact a signed PDF file or ask them to make the necessary redactions.

If invalidating digital signatures is not a concern, you can use third-party software to remove encryptions and redaction software like Redactable to make automatic redactions.

Alternatively, you can use the following guide to redact a signed document:

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1. Open the PDF file in Adobe Sign.
2. Click on “Download PDF” and open the PDF.

3. Right-click and select “Print.”

4. Select “Save as PDF” as the destination. 

5. Save the file and open the newly downloaded PDF in Adobe Sign.

6. Click on “Preview and add necessary fields.”
7. Make the necessary redactions.
8. Enter the recipient as your personal or business email.
9. Click “Send.”

Be aware that this process is really only practical for smaller documents. Larger files can be more involved and time-consuming, forcing you to return to the original version or contact authors for editing permissions.

To check the security settings on a particular Adobe PDF, go to “Menu” > “Document properties” > Security. If security settings are enabled, ask the author for a PDF file without the security settings. 

6 common problems in Adobe Acrobat Pro and how to fix them

If you did all the steps above for the various redaction processes and still have a problem, it could be one of several common issues. Here are the issues many people face with Adobe’s redaction feature and some practical ways to fix them. 

1. The “Apply Redactions” button is opaque

This can be truly irritating. You’ve selected the content you want redacted, but the “Apply Redactions” button is opaque, and you can’t click on it. 

Solution: 

Check the security settings for the particular file by navigating to “Menu” > “Protection” > “Security properties”. If you’re redacting a PDF authored by someone else, you can ask them to send a PDF file with the security settings disabled or ask them to redact the file.

You can also follow the guide provided in the previous section to redact a signed PDF. Learn more about signed documents in Adobe by reading our blog here.

2. Pop-up box for confirming redaction is blank

Once you go through the redaction process and click “Apply,” there is a known issue where the confirmation popup box appears blank and eventually crashes the program. 

This is what you may be seeing:

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You can end the program instance by opening the task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del), but you might run into the same issue again. 

‍Solutions:

If the blank pop-up shows for a particular file, the PDF has security settings enabled to prevent redactions and secure the document. Read the steps in the previous section and view the security settings for your PDF file.

If you’re facing this problem on multiple files, you must change the application’s preference settings.

Click on “Menu” > “Preferences” > “Security (Enhanced)” and disable the “Enable Protected Mode at Startup,” “Protected View,” and “Enable Enhanced Security” options. Click “Ok” to finalize and save your settings and restart Adobe Acrobat Pro.

For users who still see the same problem, an alternative method to fix the blank pop-up window needs a bit of coding to fix temporarily:

• Add JavaScript to the side panel.
• Click “Redact” and select all the content you want to be redacted.
• Click on “Use JavaScript” on the left, then click on “Debugger” from the menu.
• Paste the following code in the bottom box: 

this.applyRedactions(); 

• Click Ctrl+Enter after pasting the above line of code.
• Fixing this issue could create a new one where you see a blank window while trying to save the document. Print the PDF file by clicking “Menu”, then “Print” and then “Print” again.

3. Redactions appearing incorrectly on multiple pages

Another frustrating issue you might run into while using Adobe Acrobat is that subsequent pages have black-out boxes in the same place as the first page, even if you didn’t select that content to be redacted.

Solutions:

You can repair Adobe Acrobat Pro by navigating to “Menu” > “Help” > “Repair installation” and rebooting your computer. To download the latest version of Adobe, go to “Menu” > “Help” > “Check for updates” and install the newest version. 

Resetting preferences to default can help fix the problem:

• Close Adobe Acrobat.
• Open Windows Explorer and locate the Preferences folder (C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\[version] )
• Move the Preferences folder to a different location. 
• Restart Adobe Acrobat Pro. 

If the above methods did not help, the problem might lie with the fact that the document is an Adobe Enhance scanned file. Instead of using the  “Scan & OCR” option, in the “Convert” menu, select “In this file” under “Recognize text” for text recognition. Additionally, convert the PDF into a PDF/A-b format for best results. 

Alternatively, the issue could lie in using background page elements like images for the headers, footers, or the entire page. Adobe thinks the redaction must apply to these elements if you mark those places for redaction. To solve the problem, use a document version without background elements to add redactions and reapply the elements after it.

4. Adobe Acrobat does not redact text in active form fields

Are you running into issues when redacting text from active form fields? The reason is simple. 

Solution:

You cannot redact the text without removing the active form fields in your PDF files. You can redact the file freely once the active form fields are gone. 

Remember that Adobe Acrobat Pro only allows redactions for PDF files, not scanned PDFs, which are perceived by the program as uneditable images. You’ll need to convert the scanned PDF document into an editable PDF file before redacting them.

5. The redaction process takes hours to complete

Some users have reported that redacting larger documents takes hours to process and finish, and even the initial document scan can take 15 to 20 minutes. Users have also complained about being unable to apply any redactions at all, instead they’re faced with a spinning cursor.

Solution:

One suggested solution is to install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Pro. In cases where Adobe is aware of the problem and has issued a fix, updating the program solves the inconvenience for some users. However, for others, the issue seems to reappear.  

6. You receive a message that says “Document could not be saved. Bad parameter.”

The “Document could not be saved bad parameter” error normally occurs when you attempt to save a newly opened PDF file and is tied to a structural problem with the document. This can be highly stressful, especially if you’ve already made a lot of changes to the document and don’t want to close the file. Here’s what you can do to fix the problem. 

Solution: 

First, you could try printing your file as a new PDF. Simply go to “Menu” > “Print” and select the format “Microsoft Print to PDF” from the list of printers. Then, choose the location on your hard drive to save the PDF file. 

Another option is to “Flatten” the PDF file. Go to “All Tools” > “Use print production” and then click “Flattener Preview” and adjust the settings to your needs. Then, click “Apply.” You should now be able to save the PDF without an error. (Be warned that flattening will disable any interactive elements).

If you can close the document without losing too much work but want to solve the problem to prevent it happening in the future, you could try these solutions:

Combine the faulty document with a functioning PDF:

• Open a new instance of Adobe Acrobat Pro. Go to “All tools” > “Create a PDF” > “Multiple files”, then choose “Combine files” and click “Next”. 
• Next, add a working file and the broken PDF you need to fix. 
• Click “Combine.” You should now have a new file that’s functioning.
• Open your new document and delete the extra pages from the functional PDF. 

Export the PDF as a PostScript (This method also disables interactive elements)

• Go to “All tools” > “Export a PDF” > “Other format” > Choose “EPS” or “PS” for postscript format
• Save the file to the location of your choice
• Right click the new file and select “Open with Adobe Acrobat Distiller”
• Acrobat Distiller will convert the file into a PDF file without errors

Downsides of using Adobe Acrobat Pro

Is the Adobe redaction tool not working well even after applying these solutions? The problem might be the limitations of the tool itself. Here are some of the downsides of using Adobe Acrobat Pro:

• Adobe Acrobat Pro relies on manual redactions, forcing your team to invest time and resources to scan and redact complex documents page-by-page when they could be focused on other, more useful tasks that drive revenue.

• Adobe can be costly for individuals and smaller organizations who do not need to redact documents as frequently as larger organizations.

• Users with limited technical knowledge can face a steep learning curve when trying to troubleshoot Adobe Acrobat Pro. Support forums are full of users dealing with problems reported repeatedly over the years, which are still affecting users today. Adobe support or other Acrobat users suggest a range of fixes for different redaction issues, including:some text
  • Debugging the PDF by adding JavaScript code
  • Editing the Windows registry to delete corrupted keys and subkeys
  • Changing permissions on Adobe program files
  • Searching for and deleting certain Adobe AcroCEF folders
  • Enabling or disabling features by navigating Adobe Acrobat Pro's complex security and protection settings

However, some users report trying all the provided fixes and still facing the same problems. 

• Adobe Acrobat can be working perfectly fine until an update stops your redaction work with no warning. It’s not a pleasant experience when you’re on a time-sensitive, 2-day deadline with 5000 pages needing redacts and the program you’ve paid for suddenly stops doing its job. 

• Document scrubbing features like removing metadata and hidden elements are optional and appear as a checkbox. Forgetting to enable them can make your PDF files vulnerable to snoops who can easily recover redacted data and compromise privacy.

Although Adobe Acrobat Pro has plenty of features for creating and managing PDF files, it’s not an elegant solution for redacting documents. With all of its limitations and technical issues, why not switch to a hassle-free redaction tool? 

Redactable is designed to scan vast numbers of files rapidly and automatically find all visible and hidden types of personal data. The platform then permanently and consistently removes sensitive data while scrubbing hidden document elements, securing your PDF against any bad actors. What’s more, all of this is done via a simple interface and user-friendly work flow that takes 98% less time.

Redactable: The perfect alternative to the Adobe Redact tool

Redactable is a cloud-based redaction tool that leverages AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms to safeguard your privacy by automatically detecting and redacting confidential data within minutes. 

Unlike Adobe, our Redaction Wizard feature automatically scans your document to detect and redact classified data without manual input. If you still want to make manual redactions, just choose the “Manual” option and use the One-Click Redaction feature for hassle-free redactions.

Redactable is designed to be easier than Adobe Acrobat Pro

Let’s look at the 5-step process to remove sensitive information in Redactable to see how it functions differently from Adobe Acrobat Pro.

1. Open Redactable in your browser.

2. Upload the document you want to redact.

3. Select the content you want to be redacted (unless you’re using our Redaction Wizard!)

4. And click “Finalize Redaction.”

5. Download the newly redacted file.

Unlike Adobe, Redactable features an easy-to-use interface that makes redaction a breeze. What’s more, with powerful automation features, you can redact thousands of pages in minutes, radically increasing the efficiency of your document security processes. 

Pricing

Adobe Acrobat Pro for Business has a complex pricing model, starting at $23.99/month per license with optional AI-add-ons. Redactable has a transparent pricing plan and a free trial, so you can try our features risk-free before subscribing to our premium plans.

All plans include:

• Automated redaction features with AI
• Auto-redact signatures, logos & more
• Redact scanned documents (OCR)
• No page volume cap
• Redaction certificates

Here’s how Redactable’s subscription options break down:

Move beyond Adobe's limitations and revolutionize your redaction process 

Redacting confidential data is an important part of maintaining information security. However, tools sometimes fail, and Adobe Acrobat Pro users often encounter a number of issues. Some of these problems can be addressed with simple solutions. However, others require technical expertise and can slow down the overall redaction process. Ultimately, many of the issues organizations run into when using Adobe to redact are core limitations of the software. The ideal solution is to choose a platform specifically designed to make redaction easier. 

With Redactable, you won’t have to worry about searching for articles like this one to find fast fixes for in-the-moment problems. Instead, you can trust our platform to provide consistent, error-free document redaction for all your files. 

Try our features risk-free and see how Redactable can help revolutionize your redaction processes using AI-powered features to safeguard your privacy today!