Text under black highlighting or shading
Finds words formatted with a dark highlight or dark shading and a dark font colour, so they look blacked out but can still be selected, copied or recoloured.
Word Redaction Checker
Was this Word document actually redacted?
Drop in a Word file (.docx) and find out whether its redactions removed the text or only hid it: black highlighting over words you can still copy, deleted text that tracked changes kept, comments and hidden text. The check runs entirely in your browser, so your file is not sent to RedactVault servers, so you can use it on confidential documents.
Drop a PDF or Word file (.docx) here to check it
Or click to choose a file. Your file is analyzed in your browser and is not sent to RedactVault servers. Checks up to the first 300 pages of a PDF.
Choose a fileWhat we check
Beyond black highlighting — where Word keeps data
Deleted text kept by tracked changes
Finds text deleted while Track Changes was on. Word keeps it in the file until the change is accepted, and anyone can show it again with All Markup.
Comments
Counts comments and replies. They travel with the file and often quote or discuss the very text that was removed.
Hidden text
Finds text set to Word's Hidden font option. It does not show on screen or print by default, but it is still in the file and appears as soon as hidden text is shown.
Dark shapes in front of text
Flags dark-filled shapes placed in front of text. Word decides where they sit when it lays out the page, so this check cannot tell what they cover: it asks you to look.
Document properties
Flags author, last-modified-by, title, company and custom property fields, and personal data such as email addresses or ID numbers in any property.
Other hidden data
Flags embedded files, a saved thumbnail picture of the first page, and custom XML data stored in the file.
How this checker works
The method, in plain terms
Reading the file
A .docx file is a package of XML parts: the main text, headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes and comments. The checker opens the package in your browser and reads every one of those parts with the same text extraction RedactVault uses to redact Word files.
Checking the formatting of every run of text
Word stores text in runs, each with its own formatting. For every run the checker works out the font colour and what is behind it: highlight, shading on the text, the paragraph or the table cell, including formatting that comes from a style. Dark text on a dark background looks blacked out but is still there. Automatic font colour is not counted, because Word shows it white on a dark background.
Tracked changes, comments and hidden text
Deleted text that is waiting to be accepted is counted, and so are comments and text set to Word's Hidden font option. Their words are shown only if you click to reveal them.
Shapes, properties and stored data
Dark shapes placed in front of text are flagged for you to check by eye. Document properties (author, last modified by, title, company and custom properties) are listed by name, never by value, and scanned for personal data such as email addresses and ID numbers. Embedded files, a saved thumbnail picture and custom XML data are listed.
The verdicts
Redaction failed means text was found that is hidden by formatting only, or deleted text that tracked changes kept. Needs review means no recoverable redacted text was confirmed, but something needs a look: comments, hidden text, shapes that may cover text, document properties, or parts of the file that could not be read. Looks redacted means redaction marks were found and nothing recoverable or left over. No redactions found means the file has no black highlighting, shading, block characters, [REDACTED] markers, runs of X or dark shapes. Cannot verify means the file is password-protected or its main text could not be read — we never report those as passed.
Limitations
This is a best-effort structural check, not a guarantee. It reads the text stored in the file; it does not read text inside pictures, cannot open password-protected files, and cannot tell what a shape covers on the laid-out page. Replacement text is recognised when it is block characters (█), runs of X, or [REDACTED]; other replacement words look like ordinary text to this check. Older .doc files are not supported: save them as .docx first.
Frequently asked
Questions about checking Word redactions
How can I tell if a Word document was really redacted?
Black highlighting or shading in Word changes only how text looks: the words stay in the file, and anyone can select, copy or recolour them. This checker looks for text under dark highlighting or shading, deleted text that tracked changes kept, comments, hidden text, dark shapes placed in front of text, document properties and other data stored in the file.
Does my Word file get uploaded?
No. The checker runs entirely in your browser. Your file is read on your device and is not sent to RedactVault servers, so you can use it on confidential documents.
Is black highlighting in Word a real redaction?
No. Highlighting and shading are formatting. If the font colour matches the highlight, the page looks blacked out, but the words are still in the file. Anyone can select them and change the colour, or paste them somewhere else, to read them.
Does Word keep text I deleted with Track Changes on?
Yes. Word keeps deleted text in the file until the change is accepted or rejected, and anyone can show it again with All Markup on the Review tab. Accept all changes and delete all comments, then check the file again.
Can it check .doc files or password-protected Word files?
No. Save an older .doc file as .docx, or remove the password from a protected file, and check that copy. The checker tells you this instead of guessing.
Can it see what a shape or picture covers?
No. Word decides where a floating shape sits when it lays out the page, so the checker cannot tell what a shape covers. It flags dark shapes in front of text so you can move them and look underneath. It does not read text inside pictures.
Further reading
More on checking and redacting Word files
Related tools and practical reading.
Checking a PDF? Use the PDF Redaction Checker
Finds recoverable text under black boxes, hidden metadata, earlier saved versions and attachments in a PDF.
Why drawing black boxes over a document is not real redaction
The trap behind black-highlighting or white-font text in Word, and what actually removes the content.
How to permanently remove sensitive text, metadata, and hidden data
Why comments, tracked changes, and author metadata survive a careless redaction, and how to remove them.
How to redact a document before pasting it into an AI assistant
Replace names and numbers with placeholders before you paste, then put the real values back into the reply.
Found a problem?
Redact it properly — in your browser
If the checker found recoverable text or hidden data, RedactVault can remove it for real. Redaction runs on your device, and the export runs removal checks for what you selected before you download it.
Free to use
Check another Word file any time
The checker is free and needs no account. Bookmark it and run any suspect Word file through before you send or publish it.
Just need it once?
Get 24-hour Professional individual access for one urgent redaction job. Includes batch and folder processing with unlimited pages, and excludes team seats and Face detection.