diff --git a/crates/forms/src/author.rs b/crates/forms/src/author.rs
index f5178a6879..544d0a7f8b 100644
--- a/crates/forms/src/author.rs
+++ b/crates/forms/src/author.rs
@@ -1280,6 +1280,31 @@ pub fn delete_field(doc: &mut Document, name: &str) -> Result<(), FormError> {
             }
         }
     }
+    // Out of the calculation order too: a `/CO` entry would keep the field, its value and its
+    // widgets reachable for a full save.
+    drop_from_calculation_order(doc, |r| r == f.obj || widgets.contains(&r))
+}
+
+/// Remove the `/CO` entries `gone` matches, whether the form and the array are held directly or
+/// by reference.
+fn drop_from_calculation_order(doc: &mut Document, gone: impl Fn(ObjRef) -> bool) -> Result<(), FormError> {
+    let Some(root) = doc.root() else { return Ok(()) };
+    let Some(af_obj) = doc.get(root).as_dict().and_then(|d| d.get(b"AcroForm").cloned()) else { return Ok(()) };
+    let Some(mut af) = doc.resolve(&af_obj).as_dict().cloned() else { return Ok(()) };
+    let Some(co_obj) = af.get(b"CO").cloned() else { return Ok(()) };
+    let co = doc.resolve(&co_obj).as_array().cloned().unwrap_or_default();
+    let kept: Vec<Object> = co.iter().filter(|o| !o.as_ref().is_some_and(&gone)).cloned().collect();
+    if kept.len() == co.len() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+    match (co_obj.as_ref(), af_obj.as_ref()) {
+        (Some(r), _) if doc.get(r).as_array().is_some() => doc.set(r, Object::Array(kept)),
+        (_, Some(af_ref)) => doc.update_dict(af_ref, |d| d.set(b"CO".to_vec(), Object::Array(kept)))?,
+        (_, None) => {
+            af.set(b"CO".to_vec(), Object::Array(kept));
+            doc.update_dict(root, |d| d.set(b"AcroForm".to_vec(), Object::Dict(af)))?;
+        }
+    }
     Ok(())
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/redact/src/tests.rs b/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
index a9902495df..52d80eb26e 100644
--- a/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
@@ -2462,6 +2462,7 @@ fn unused_descriptions_in_shared_or_inherited_resources_are_retired() {
 }
 
 mod property_retirement;
+mod surviving_references;
 
 /// `[(FIRSTARR)] [(LASTARR)] TJ` is malformed (a surplus array operand), but the operator still
 /// draws only the one immediately before it (LASTARR, 7 glyphs, 35 pt wide from x = 10) -- not
diff --git a/crates/redact/src/tests/surviving_references.rs b/crates/redact/src/tests/surviving_references.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cfe6d87bbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/redact/src/tests/surviving_references.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+//! Redacted content must leave the file: no other reference may keep it reachable by a full save.
+
+use super::*;
+
+/// Whether `secret` survives a full save of `doc`, in the file's bytes or in a decoded stream.
+fn full_save_holds(doc: &Document, secret: &[u8]) -> bool {
+    let bytes = write_full(doc, &SaveOptions::default()).unwrap();
+    let found = |data: &[u8]| data.windows(secret.len()).any(|w| w == secret);
+    if found(&bytes) {
+        return true;
+    }
+    let saved = Document::open(Arc::new(bytes)).unwrap();
+    saved.scan_objects().into_iter().any(|(_, o)| matches!(&*o, Object::Stream(s) if s.decoded().is_ok_and(|d| found(&d))))
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn a_redacted_field_listed_in_the_calculation_order_leaves_the_saved_file() {
+    let mut doc = one_page(b"", "", vec![]);
+    pdfcraft_forms::add_field(&mut doc, 0, [10.0, 50.0, 100.0, 70.0], &pdfcraft_forms::NewField::Text { multiline: false }, Some("ssn")).unwrap();
+    pdfcraft_forms::set_value(&mut doc, "ssn", &pdfcraft_forms::FieldValue::Text("SSN-078-05-1120".into())).unwrap();
+    let field = pdfcraft_forms::fields(&doc).swap_remove(0).obj;
+    let root = doc.root().unwrap();
+    let af = doc.get(root).as_dict().unwrap().reference(b"AcroForm").unwrap();
+    doc.update_dict(af, |d| d.set(b"CO".to_vec(), Object::Array(vec![Object::Ref(field)]))).unwrap();
+    mark(&mut doc, 0, &[[0.0, 40.0, 120.0, 80.0]], "");
+    assert_eq!(apply(&mut doc, None).unwrap().fields, 1);
+    assert!(!full_save_holds(&doc, b"SSN-078-05-1120"), "the field's value is still reachable");
+}