Redact PDF C#

AI-powered redaction of PII, PHI, financial, legal, and confidential data with custom presets and color/thickness options.

AI Tools

Redact PDF C# Overview

Automatically detect and black out information in PDF document. Whether you need to secure business documents or protect personal information, our tool provides reliable, efficient, and user-friendly redaction solutions. Start safeguarding your PDFs today with our trusted Data Redact C# library.

Lightning Fast Conversions

Process and convert files in seconds with our high-performance cloud infrastructure.

Accuracy Guaranteed

Our advanced algorithms ensure pixel-perfect and content-accurate file conversions.

Enterprise-Grade Security

ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR compliant with encrypted file processing.

Global Infrastructure

Strategically located servers ensure low latency and high availability worldwide.

Developer Friendly

Comprehensive SDKs and clear documentation for quick and simple integration.

Time-Saving Automation

Automate repetitive document workflows and focus on what matters most.

Customizable Parameters

Fine-tune your automation with these powerful conversion options

File

File Supported formats: .pdf

File to be converted. Value can be URL or file content.

Password

String

Sets the password to open protected PDF.

Preset

Collection Default: auto

The Preset parameter determines the type of sensitive data the AI will detect and redact from the document. It complements the RedactionData, enabling you to refine or expand the redaction criteria. Select manual to use your customized redaction options exclusively.

Choose a preset to define the type of sensitive data the AI will detect and redact from the document:

  • Auto - Automatically detects and redacts sensitive data across all categories, including PII, financial, healthcare, legal, and confidential information. Best for general redaction when the document type is unknown or contains mixed data.

  • GDPR - Redacts personal data as required by GDPR, including names, emails, IP addresses, phone numbers, and national IDs.

  • HIPAA - Ensures compliance with HIPAA by redacting protected health information (PHI) such as patient names, medical record numbers, diagnoses, and prescription details.

  • FERPA - Redacts personally identifiable student information to comply with FERPA, including student names, school records, and educational identifiers.

  • FOIA - Prevents the exposure of sensitive personal or national security data in documents released under FOIA. This includes classified content, addresses, and government IDs.

  • GLBA - Complies with GLBA by redacting financial data such as bank account numbers, credit card details, loan records, and investment information.

  • CCPA -Meets CCPA requirements by removing consumer personal data such as purchase history, geolocation, contact details, and online identifiers upon request.

  • Manual - Disables automatic AI detection preset. Only the manually set parameters will be used to determine what should be redacted. Ideal for users who want full control over redaction without AI-based automation.

Values:   auto gdpr hipaa ferpa foia glba ccpa manual

MinimumConfidence

Double Default: 0.5

Sets the minimum confidence threshold for AI-based detection of sensitive data. Higher values reduce false positives but may miss subtle matches.

Range:   0.01 .. 0.99

ContextSize

Collection Default: balanced

Defines how the AI engine processes the document in terms of context.

When the ContextSize parameter is set to Page, each page is processed independently, without context from other pages. This mode is useful when a document contains structured or repetitive data (such as tables with rows of values), or when a high volume of detections is expected. By limiting context to a single page, the AI avoids confusion from unrelated content and ensures accuracy per page.

When the ContextSize parameter is set to Balanced, the AI maintains context across multiple pages while still optimizing processing efficiency. This mode is recommended for large or multi-page documents where relationships between sections matter, and it also provides improved performance for large documents.

Values:   balanced page

RedactionColor

Color

Specifies the color used to mask redacted text, accepting formats such as Hexadecimal (e.g., #FFFFFF for white or #FF5733 for orange), RGB with an optional alpha channel (e.g., 255,255,255 for white or 255,255,255), and named colors (e.g., white, red, blue).

RedactionThickness

Double Default: 1

The RedactionThickness property controls the height of the redaction stroke line relative to the original line height.

  • A value of 1 means the stroke height matches the original line height.
  • Values less than 1 (e.g., 0.5) reduce the stroke height.
  • Values greater than 1 (e.g., 1.5 or 2) increase the stroke height.
Range:   0.5 .. 2

PII

Bool Default: False

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) - Detects and redacts common personal identifiers, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and home addresses.

PHI

Bool Default: False

Patient Health Information (PHI) - Detects health-related information such as patient names, medical records, insurance details, and prescription data.

Financial

Bool Default: False

Financial Data - Focuses on financial records, including credit card numbers, bank account numbers, financial transaction details, etc.

Legal

Bool Default: False

Legal and Contractual Data - Detects legal and contractual terms, including case numbers, legal clauses, signatures, and confidential agreements.

Confidential

Bool Default: False

Legal and Contractual Data - Detects proprietary business information, contracts and agreements, internal communications, trade secrets, intellectual property details, and sensitive corporate data.

RedactionData

String

A JSON array defining specific values for redaction. Supports three methods:

  • Text – Exact text to be redacted.
  • Regex – Escaped regular expression patterns for flexible text matching.
  • Detect – AI-based detection using a description of what to find.

If RedactionData is passed, it forces: Preset is set to manual, and all built-in detection options (such as PII, PHI, Financial, Legal, Confidential) are disabled. In this mode, only the values defined in RedactionData are applied.

Example JSON

[
  {
    "Text": "john@domain.com"
  },
  {
    "Detect": "Bank account number"
  },
  {
    "Regex": "\\b100\\s*(€|\\$)\\b"
  }
]

PageRange

String Default: 1-2000

Set page range. Example 1-10 or 1,2,5.

StoreFile

Bool Default: False

When the StoreFile parameter is set to True, your converted file is written to ConvertAPI’s encrypted, temporary storage and made available via a time-limited secure download URL, valid for up to 3 hours. After this period, the file is permanently deleted.

When StoreFile is set to False, conversion happens entirely in-memory. The raw file bytes are streamed back in the API response without touching disk or external storage, ensuring maximum security and zero persistence so that only you can access the content.

Step-by-Step Guide

Easy Redact PDF integration programmatically using our simple C# SDK

1. C# library install

ConvertAPI provides an ASP.NET C# library that allows you to perform a Redact PDF conversion with just a few lines of code. Convert PDF to REDACT using C# programming language with no effort at all!

NuGet Terminal >
Install-Package ConvertApi

2. Authenticate ConvertAPI C# library

You can obtain your API Token by signing up for a free account. Once you sign up, you'll receive 250 free conversions instantly! Grab your authentication key from the account dashboard, and authenticate the ConvertAPI C# library like this:

// get your API Token here: https://www.convertapi.com/a/auth
ConvertApi convertApi = new ConvertApi("api_token");

3. Redact PDF using C# .NET

Once you have your authentication in place, simply copy-paste this Redact PDF conversion code snippet into your C# project:

Advanced C# SDK Techniques

Take your ConvertAPI C# integrations to the next level with advanced techniques for real-world, production-grade document conversion workflows.

These advanced patterns help you build robust, scalable, and efficient Redact PDF pipelines in your .NET applications while maintaining flexibility and control over your document workflows.

Convert a Remote PDF File

The following C# example demonstrates how to convert a PDF file hosted online (accessible via a public URL) directly to REDACT using ConvertAPI. This is useful when your documents are already stored on cloud storage (S3, Azure Blob, etc.) and you want to convert them without downloading locally first.

In this example:

  • No local download needed before conversion.
  • The PDF file is fetched from the provided URL.
  • ConvertAPI converts it to REDACT and saves it to a temporary folder on your server or local machine.
  • Ideal for server-side processing pipelines and automated workflows.
var convertApi = new ConvertApi("api_key");
var sourceFile = new Uri("https://cdn.convertapi.com/public/files/demo.pdf");

Console.WriteLine($"Converting online {sourceFile} document to REDACT...");

var pdfToRedactResult = await convertApi.ConvertAsync("pdf", "redact", new ConvertApiFileParam(sourceFile));
var outputFileName = pdfToRedactResult.Files[0];
var fileInfo = await outputFileName.SaveFileAsync(Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), outputFileName.FileName));

Console.WriteLine("The REDACT result saved to " + fileInfo);

Convert a PDF File Stream to REDACT and Receive a File Stream

This C# example demonstrates how to convert a PDF file provided as a stream directly to REDACT using ConvertAPI and receive the converted REDACT as a stream without writing to disk. This is ideal for in-memory processing in ASP.NET APIs, serverless functions, or pipeline services where you need to handle documents securely and efficiently.

In this example:

  • You pass a PDF file stream (pdf_stream) with a filename hint to ConvertAPI.
  • ConvertAPI converts the document to REDACT without saving intermediate files.
  • The converted REDACT is returned as a stream (outputStream) for direct processing, returning to clients, or further manipulation in your pipeline.
  • Ideal for secure, diskless document conversion workflows.
var conversionResult = await convertApi.ConvertAsync("pdf", "redact",
new ConvertApiFileParam(pdf_stream, "test.pdf")
);
var outputStream = await conversionResult.Files.First().FileStreamAsync();

Console.Write(new StreamReader(outputStream).ReadToEnd());
Console.WriteLine("End of file stream.");

Handling Exceptions During Redact PDF Conversion

This C# example shows how to handle exceptions when converting a PDF file to REDACT using ConvertAPI. By catching ConvertApiException, you can access detailed error information, making it easier to debug issues such as invalid API tokens, unsupported file formats, or conversion errors in your workflow.

In this example:

  • A try-catch block safely wraps the PDF to REDACT conversion.
  • If the API call fails, ConvertApiException provides the HTTP status code and API response details for clear diagnostics.
  • This approach ensures your application can handle errors gracefully, log issues, and respond with meaningful messages to users or calling services.
try
{
    var convertApi = new ConvertApi("api_token");
    const string sourceFile = @"..\..\..\TestFiles\test.pdf";

    var convert = await convertApi.ConvertAsync("pdf", "redact",
    new ConvertApiFileParam(sourceFile));
}
//Catch exceptions and write details
catch (ConvertApiException e)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Status Code: " + e.StatusCode);
    Console.WriteLine("Response: " + e.Response);
}

Integrate within minutes

Easy Redact PDF automation using our simple C# SDK

Try the Redact PDF conversion online

Try it Free

Compatible With All .NET Frameworks & Tools

Compatible with Microsoft Azure Compatible with .NET Core Available on NuGet C# SDK Available Compatible with VS Code Compatible with JetBrains Rider Compatible with Visual Studio

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ConvertAPI C# SDK?

The ConvertAPI C# SDK is a lightweight, easy-to-use library for .NET developers to integrate document and file conversions into their applications with minimal code. It connects directly to the ConvertAPI REST service, allowing you to automate file conversions, merging, splitting, and more.

What types of conversions are supported?

ConvertAPI offers 300+ converters and tools, including DOCX to PDF, XLSX to PDF, PDF to JPG, HTML to PDF, image processing, metadata extraction, compression, and advanced document workflows. You can automate complex document processing scenarios within your .NET applications using the SDK.

Can I build complex conversion workflows using the SDK?

Yes, the ConvertAPI .NET C# SDK allows you to chain conversions, merge documents, extract pages, and apply advanced parameters to automate end-to-end document workflows within your applications.

Is there a file size limit when using ConvertAPI?

The maximum file size you can convert depends on your ConvertAPI plan type. Higher-tier plans allow larger files and increased concurrency for high-volume document processing needs.

Can I convert files entirely in memory without storing them on your servers?

Yes, ConvertAPI supports in-memory conversions, allowing you to send and receive files as streams without saving them to disk on ConvertAPI servers. This enables secure, diskless workflows for sensitive or temporary files.

Which .NET versions does the ConvertAPI SDK support?

The SDK supports .NET Framework 4.5+, .NET Core, .NET 5, 6, 7, and 8, ensuring compatibility across your existing and new projects.

Businesses trust us

Highest rated File Conversion API on major B2B software listing platforms: Capterra, G2, and Trustpilot.

"ConvertAPI has been a game-changer for our document automation workflows. Their conversion accuracy and API reliability are unmatched in the industry for over 7 years."

"ConvertAPI is a reliable, cost-effective solution with a proven track record of stability. It has grown significantly in maturity, adopting enterprise-grade practices over the years."

"We've integrated ConvertAPI across our entire document processing platform. The performance is exceptional and the support team is always responsive. Highly recommended!"

Enterprise-Grade Security

We ensure that all document processing is handled securely in the cloud, adhering to industry-leading standards like ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA. To enhance security even further, we can ensure that no files or data are stored on our servers and never leave your country.

Learn more about security

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