Mask Aadhaar, PAN and other Indian IDs
Hide the first 8 digits of an Aadhaar number, or black out PAN, GSTIN, IFSC and UPI IDs, in a PDF or a photo before you share it. Free, online, and private.
Choose a PDF or an image, or drag it here:
Tick what should be hidden:
Black boxes show what will be hidden. Drag on the picture to hide anything else, such as the QR code or the photograph.
See what the text reader read
This is the raw text read from your picture, on your device. If the number is wrong or missing here, the picture is too unclear for automatic masking: drag a box over it instead.
A “?” means the number has the right shape but did not pass its check digit, which often happens when a photo is read imperfectly.
How to mask an Aadhaar number
- Choose your e-Aadhaar PDF or a photo of the card.
- Press Find IDs. Each number found is covered with a black box in the preview.
- Untick anything you want to keep, or drag a box over anything else you want hidden.
- Press Mask and download to save the new copy.
What it finds
| ID | Looks like | What is hidden |
|---|---|---|
| Aadhaar | XXXX XXXX 1234 | The first 8 digits, or all 12 if you choose that. Checked with the Aadhaar check digit. |
| Aadhaar VID | XXXX XXXX XXXX 2346 | The first 12 of the 16 digits, or all of them if you untick the option. |
| PAN | ABCPE1234F | The whole number. |
| GSTIN | 27AAPFU0939F1ZV | The whole number. Checked with the GSTIN check character. |
| IFSC | HDFC0001234 | The whole code. Off by default, as it identifies a bank branch, not a person. |
| UPI ID | name@okhdfcbank | The whole ID. |
How it works
For a PDF with real text, the numbers are read directly from the page. For photos and scanned pages, the text is first read from the picture, which is slower and less exact. Each number is then checked against the format of that ID.
The masked image is a new picture with black pixels where the numbers were. A masked PDF is rebuilt with each page saved as a picture, because a black box drawn over PDF text leaves the text underneath, where it can still be copied. To check any redacted PDF for that problem, use the Redaction Checker. To look for other personal details, use the Sensitive Info Finder or the Image PII Redactor.
Questions
What is a masked Aadhaar?
A masked Aadhaar shows only the last four digits of the 12-digit number; the first eight are hidden. It is the form usually recommended when a copy of your Aadhaar is needed only as proof of identity.
Is my Aadhaar uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is opened and checked inside your browser tab, and the masked copy is created on your device. Nothing is sent to TinyPDF.in or to any other server.
Which ID numbers does it find?
Aadhaar, the 16-digit Aadhaar Virtual ID (VID), PAN, GSTIN, IFSC codes and UPI IDs. Aadhaar and GSTIN numbers are verified with their built-in check digit, so an ordinary 12-digit number is not mistaken for an Aadhaar.
Can the hidden digits be recovered from the masked file?
No. For images, the pixels are replaced with black. For PDFs, every page is saved as a picture with the numbers blacked out, so there is no text left underneath to copy.
Why is the text in my masked PDF no longer selectable?
Drawing a black box over text in a PDF leaves the text underneath, where anyone can copy it. To remove it for certain, each page is saved as an image. The page looks the same but its text cannot be selected or searched.
It did not find the number in my photo. What can I do?
Photos that are blurred, tilted, dark or small are hard to read automatically. Drag a box over the number on the picture to hide it yourself. You can also draw boxes over the QR code and the photograph.
Should I also hide the QR code on an Aadhaar card?
Yes, if you do not want it read. The QR code on an Aadhaar card or letter carries your details in a form that scanners can read. Drag a box over it before saving.
Does it work for e-Aadhaar PDFs with a password?
Remove the password first, for example by opening the file with its password and printing it to a new PDF. Then use that copy here.