1. Add photos
Choose one photo or a batch. The local detector checks each image for faces and creates a selectable box around every face it finds.
Private photo redaction in your browser
Automatic Face Blur and Photo Redactor
Find faces automatically, choose who to hide, cover other private details and export flattened photos without EXIF or GPS metadata. Images without a detected human face are rejected.
Multiple face detectionHuman face validationManual redactionBatch and ZIPNo photo uploads
Drop photos to redact
Add one or more JPG, PNG, WebP or AVIF images. Each image is checked locally and only files with at least one detected human face enter the workspace.
How to blur faces and redact a photo
2. Choose faces
Keep the checkbox enabled for each face you want to hide. Clear it when a person should remain visible.
3. Cover missed details
Inspect the whole image. Add rectangles over signs and number plates, or use the brush for irregular private information.
4. Prepare and inspect
Choose Solid, Pixelate, Blur or Emoji. Prepare new flattened files, compare the result with the original, then download each file or a ZIP.
Choose the right redaction style
Solid replaces the selected pixels with an opaque colour. It is the recommended choice for sensitive information and formal disclosure.
Pixelate reduces local detail into large blocks. Blur softens detail. Both can be useful for casual sharing, but neither should be treated as strong protection for highly sensitive content.
Emoji covers detected face boxes with a symbol for informal posts. Use the manual rectangle or brush for information outside a detected face.
Permanent pixel rewriting
The result is rendered into a new canvas and encoded as a new JPG, PNG or WebP file. The export is flattened and does not contain editable overlay layers.
The UK Information Commissioner's Office advises that image redaction should irreversibly remove information. Its current guidance warns that simple blur or pixelation can sometimes be reversed and recommends fully obscuring information with a solid block, followed by export to a simple flattened image format. Read the ICO secure disclosure guidance.
This tool assists with editing. You remain responsible for checking the whole image, deciding what may lawfully be shared and confirming that the final file hides everything required.
Automatic face detection with manual control
The browser uses the MediaPipe full range Face Detector to locate faces and create redaction boxes. It scans the whole image and overlapping sections so smaller faces have a better chance of being found. It does not identify people or compare identities. See the Google Face Detector documentation.
No detector can guarantee that every face is found. Group photos, profiles, masks, motion blur, poor lighting and distant people can reduce detection accuracy. Review at full preview size and add a rectangle or brush stroke over every missed person.
Remove location and camera metadata
A phone photo may contain GPS coordinates, capture time and device information. Every prepared result is newly encoded, so source EXIF and GPS fields are not copied. If you want to clean metadata without changing pixels, use Remove EXIF Data. You can also inspect a source with the Image Analyzer before sharing it.
Keep the original private. Exporting a clean copy does not remove private data from the original file stored elsewhere.
Batch redaction and mobile memory
The queue can hold multiple images, while detection and export run sequentially. Only one source is prepared at a time, and temporary canvases are released before the next file. This lowers peak memory use on phones and tablets.
Very large photos and batches can still exceed the memory available to a browser. If a phone reloads the page, use smaller groups or a desktop browser. For resizing before redaction, open the Bulk Image Resizer.
Other ways to prepare an image for sharing
Use Crop Image to remove private surroundings entirely. Use the Watermark Tool to add ownership or status text. Use Compress Image after redaction when a site imposes a file size limit.
For a full image effect without face detection, choose Blur Image or Pixelate Image.
Frequently asked questions
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Photo decoding, face detection, manual editing, image encoding and ZIP creation run in your browser. The face model and processing files download to the browser when they are first needed.
What happens if an image has no detected human face?
It is rejected before entering the workspace and is excluded from the batch. The detector checks the full image and overlapping sections, but very tiny, turned, covered or blurred faces can still be missed. Crop closer to the people and try again.
Does automatic face detection find every face in an accepted image?
No. An accepted image has at least one detected face, but other small, distant, turned, covered or low contrast faces may be missed. Review every image and add rectangles or brush strokes over anything the detector did not find.
Is blurring a face secure redaction?
Blur and pixelation can leave visual clues and may sometimes be partially reversed. For sensitive or formal disclosure, select Solid and fully cover the information before exporting a flattened JPG or PNG.
Can I keep one face visible?
Yes. Every detected face has its own checkbox. Clear the checkbox for a face you want to keep, then inspect the preview before exporting.
Can I hide information other than faces?
Yes. Use Rectangle for names, documents, signs and number plates. Use Brush for irregular areas. These manual redactions use the same selected style as detected faces.
Does the export remove GPS and EXIF metadata?
Yes. The tool draws the visible pixels onto a new canvas and creates a new JPG, PNG or WebP file. Original EXIF, GPS and edit history are not copied.
Can I process many photos?
Yes. Add a batch, choose which files to export, prepare them one at a time, and download results individually or together in a ZIP. Available device memory still limits very large batches.
Why does the tool process one image at a time?
Sequential processing reduces peak memory use. It is particularly helpful on mobile browsers, where decoding several large photos at once can cause a page reload.
Redact a photo before sharing it
Add photos, inspect every detected face, cover missed information and export clean copies.