How do I censor a video for free?
Open it above and choose Chosen areas. Mark what to hide with Find faces automatically or by dragging boxes, pick Black box, Pixelate or Blur, and select Export video. It is free, with no watermark or signup.
Censor video online
Censoring a video usually means hiding something specific: a bystander's face, a name on a badge, an email on a screen, an address on a parcel, or a moment that is too explicit to share. This tool covers it with a black box, a blur or a mosaic for as long as it is on screen, and saves a new video on your device.
Faces can be found automatically. Everything else you mark yourself with a box or oval, and tracking can make that box follow the object through the shot.
How to censor a video
Open the video
Drop the file into the tool above. It is processed in your browser, so the uncensored original is never uploaded.
Mark what to hide
Choose Chosen areas. Select Find faces automatically for people, and drag boxes over text, screens and anything else. Use Starts here and Ends here so each area shows only when needed.
Pick the effect and export
Choose Black box for the safest result, or Pixelate or Blur at a strong setting. Then select Export video to download the censored copy.
Auto censor: what is automatic and what is not
It helps to know exactly what any auto censor tool does before you trust it. Here, two things are automatic:
- Finding faces. The on-device face finder scans the video and puts a moving oval over each face it detects, shown only while that face is on screen.
- Following an object. Once you have boxed something, like a screen, logo or plate, Track movement automatically follows it through the shot.
Text, screens, documents, logos, tattoos and nudity are not detected; you choose those by drawing an area. The face finder can also miss small, distant or turned-away faces, so always scrub through the preview before you share.
Black box, pixelate or blur?
The effect you pick applies to every area in the video, so choose the one that suits the most sensitive thing you are hiding.
Black box
Solid black with nothing of the original underneath. Use it for passwords, ID numbers, addresses, documents, and anyone who could be at risk if identified.
Pixelate
The familiar mosaic. It hides well with large blocks, but small blocks can leave a face or large text readable. The tool warns you below 12 px; 16 px or more is safer.
Blur
The softest look, good for incidental faces and backgrounds. A weak blur can be read through, so keep it strong for anything sensitive.
Common things to censor in a video
- Faces of bystanders, children, customers or patients: blur faces automatically.
- License plates in dashcam and street footage: blur a license plate and track it.
- Screens and notifications in screen recordings, such as email addresses, messages, API keys and open tabs.
- Names and numbers on badges, uniforms, letters, parcels and house fronts.
- Logos and brand names you do not have permission to show.
- Rude gestures or explicit moments, with an area timed to the seconds they are on screen.
To hide a whole stretch of the picture, stretch an area across the entire frame and set its start and end times. If the part you cannot show is at the very start or end, trim it off with the scissors under the preview instead.
Privacy and publishing
Privacy laws such as GDPR can treat an identifiable person as personal data, and many organizations need consent before showing people, especially children, on video. Censoring identifying details is often the simplest way to share footage responsibly. This is general information, not legal advice.
Because the censoring runs in your browser, the unedited footage stays on your device, which matters when the video itself is sensitive.
Questions about this kind of blur
Is there an auto censor for video?
Partly. Faces are found and followed automatically. Other things, like text, screens and plates, are marked by hand and can then be tracked automatically. Always check the preview before you share.
Can it bleep swearing or censor the audio?
No. It censors the picture only. You can remove the sound entirely by turning off Keep sound under Export settings, but it cannot bleep or mute individual words.
Can I use different effects on different areas?
Not in one pass, because the effect applies to all areas. To mix them, export once with Black box over some areas, then open the exported file and add blurred areas in a second pass.
How do I censor something that only appears for a moment?
Pause on it and draw an area. Then press Starts here and Ends here (or the [ and ] keys) where it appears and disappears, leaving a few frames of margin either side.
Can someone undo the censoring?
A black box cannot be reversed, because the original pixels are replaced. Strong pixelation and blur throw detail away too, but weak settings can leave text or faces readable, so use Black box for anything critical.
Can I censor a screen recording?
Yes. Draw boxes over the private parts of the screen and set their times. If you still need to make the recording, use any screen recorder first, then bring the file here to censor it.
Keep censoring: related guides
- Pixelate a video online Pixelate, blur or black out any video, or just part of it.
- Blur a video before uploading to YouTube Censor faces and details before the file goes online.
- Anonymize people in a video Hide faces, names, plates and places before sharing.
- Blur faces in a video automatically Find faces automatically and keep them blurred as people move.
- Blur text in a video or screen recording Hide names, emails, numbers and messages on screen.
- Blur a license plate in a video Box a plate once and track it through dashcam footage.
- Blur a video online Blur the whole frame, or just part of the video.
- How to blur a video on iPhone Blur or pixelate in Safari, then save to Photos.