In a FOIA response, what is the difference between withholding a record and redacting it?

Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the public has a right to request records from federal agencies. But not every record, or every part of a record, can be released. When an agency limits what it discloses, it generally does so in one of two ways: by withholding material or by redacting it. The difference comes down to how much of a record is held back.

Withholding a record

To withhold means an agency declines to release a record, or a discrete portion of it, in full. The agency does this when the material falls under one of FOIA’s exemptions, which protect categories such as classified national security information, personal privacy, certain law enforcement records, and confidential commercial information.

A full withholding means the requester receives nothing for that document. Even then, the agency is expected to tell the requester that responsive material exists but is being withheld, identify which exemption applies, and explain appeal rights.

Redacting a record

To redact means the agency releases the record but blacks out or removes only the specific exempt portions. The non-exempt parts of the document are still disclosed.

Redaction reflects a core FOIA principle: agencies must release any reasonably segregable non-exempt information rather than withholding an entire record just because part of it is protected. In practice, a released page may show most of its text with names, account numbers, or sensitive passages obscured.

The key distinction

• Withholding removes a record (or an entire portion) from disclosure.
• Redaction discloses the record while concealing only the exempt material within it.

Put simply, redaction is a more targeted, partial form of withholding. The law favors disclosure, so agencies are generally expected to redact and release rather than withhold a whole record when only parts are exempt. Good redaction practice also requires that markings indicate which exemption justifies each removal, supporting transparency and the requester’s ability to appeal.

For more on federal recordkeeping that supports FOIA processing, see our federal records topic hub.