Guide
How to redact a screenshot permanently
This guide explains the manual steps, why blur is not the same thing, and how to verify the final file.
Quick answer
To redact a screenshot permanently, cover each sensitive area with opaque pixels that replace the original content, then export a flattened image so there is no removable layer to peel back. A solid blackout is the safe choice for anything truly sensitive.
In Captorify, redaction is a Pro feature: you draw over sensitive areas (or review auto-suggested areas), and the export bakes those pixels into the final image so the covered content is gone from the file you send.
What permanent redaction means
Permanent redaction means the sensitive pixels are overwritten in the exported image, not hidden behind a shape that someone can move or delete. Captorify composites redactions into the output server-side, so once exported the covered content no longer exists in the pixels.
This matters because a redaction drawn in many tools is just an overlay in an editable file. If you send that file instead of a flattened export, the recipient can remove the cover and read what was underneath.
Manual redaction steps
Open the capture in the editor and select the redaction tool. Draw a blackout over every sensitive area: names, account numbers, email addresses, tokens, and internal URLs. Captorify also offers suggested redactions that auto-detect common Identifiable Information (PII) patterns for you to review before applying.
Work methodically across the whole image, including anything in headers, sidebars, browser chrome, and the page background, not just the obvious central content.
Blur warning
Captorify offers blur and pixelate as well as blackout, but blur and pixelation are image transforms that can sometimes be reversed or guessed, especially for short, predictable text in a known font. Baking a blur into the export removes the editable layer, but it does not make the blur mathematically irreversible.
For real secrets and PII, use blackout. Keep blur and pixelation for cosmetic or low-risk cases where a clue leaking is not a problem.
Flatten and export
Export the redacted capture as a flattened PNG, JPG, or PDF. Captorify bakes the redactions into the exported pixels, so the file you download already has the sensitive content removed rather than hidden.
Send the exported file, not a project or layered source. The exported image is the version that is safe to share.
Verification checklist
Before sending, open the exported file on its own and look again. Confirm every sensitive value is covered with solid pixels and that nothing is partially visible at the edges of a redaction.
- Open the final exported file, not the editor preview.
- Zoom in on each redacted area to confirm nothing peeks out.
- Check headers, footers, sidebars, and any reflected values (page title, tab name, autofill).
- For secrets, confirm you used blackout, not blur or pixelate.
FAQ
Common questions.
Short answers about capture, privacy, sharing, and billing.