Mask Aadhaar and PAN numbers in a PDF
Hide the first 8 digits of Aadhaar numbers, and PAN numbers, before you share a PDF.
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What a masked Aadhaar is
UIDAI describes a masked Aadhaar as one where the first 8 digits of the Aadhaar number are replaced with "xxxx-xxxx", so only the last 4 can be seen. This tool does the same to every Aadhaar (often spelled Aadhar) number it finds in a PDF, on your device.
It can also hide a Virtual ID, keeping its last 4 digits, and a PAN, hiding its first 5 characters or all 10.
When a masked copy is enough
When someone needs a copy of a document to see your name, photo or address, or to match the last 4 digits, but not to verify your full Aadhaar number. A masked copy can't be used to check the number, so an organisation that must verify it will tell you.
Keep your original file: masking removes the hidden digits from the copy for good.
How to mask Aadhaar numbers in a PDF
- Choose the PDF. It is read on your device and never uploaded.
- Check the numbers found. Each Aadhaar, VID and PAN number is listed and ticked; untick any you want to keep, and look at any marked as unlikely.
- For a scanned page, choose "Read the scanned page" so the numbers in the picture are found too, or draw a box over a number yourself.
- Choose how hidden digits look: X marks in their place, or black boxes.
- Tick "I have checked every page", then mask and download the copy, whose name ends in -masked.
What it does not hide
The QR code on an Aadhaar letter or e-Aadhaar holds details in a form this tool can't read. If the copy must not include it, draw a box over the QR code before you mask.
Numbers written by hand, or printed too faintly to read, are not found, so look at every page before you share the copy.
How it works
- 1
Choose a PDF. The numbers in its text are found on this device.
- 2
Check each number, choose what to hide, and draw boxes over anything it missed.
- 3
Mask and save. The hidden digits are removed from the file, not just covered.
Why it's private
Processed in your browser
The tool runs on your device. There is no upload step and no server that receives your files.
Works offline
Wait for Offline ready before disconnecting. OCR and Office conversion also need their engines saved on this device.
No ads or trackers
Tool pages load no ads, no analytics scripts and no third-party code.
Questions
What is a masked Aadhaar?
UIDAI describes it as an Aadhaar with the first 8 digits replaced by "xxxx-xxxx", so only the last 4 digits can be seen. This tool hides the same digits in any PDF that shows the number.
Why is a number marked as unlikely?
The last digit of every Aadhaar number is a check digit worked out from the others (the Verhoeff method). A 12-digit number that fails that check is probably something else, such as an account number, so it is not ticked. Numbers starting with 0 or 1 are not ticked either: common Aadhaar validators reject them, though UIDAI has not published that rule. Tick any number that is an Aadhaar number.
What about the Virtual ID (VID)?
A VID is a 16-digit number that can stand in for Aadhaar. When one is found, its first 12 digits are hidden and the last 4 stay.
How much of a PAN is hidden?
The first five characters, leaving something like XXXXX1234F, unless you choose to hide all ten.
Does it find numbers in a photo or scan of my Aadhaar?
Yes, when you ask it to. A scan is a picture of the page, so its digits are not text at first; choose "Read the scanned page" and they are read with OCR on this device, then listed like any other number. The first 8 digits are cleared from the picture itself and redrawn as X marks. OCR can misread a digit, so check each one, and draw a box over anything it missed.
Does it work with password-protected PDFs?
Yes. Enter the file's password when asked; it is used on this device only. The new file is not password-protected.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser does the work on this device, and the tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded. Nothing is sent to a server.