Auto-Detection

Auto-Detection scans your PDF's text layer for common sensitive data patterns and shows you a list of matches. You choose which ones to redact.

How to Run Auto-Detection

1. Upload your PDF.
2. Click Auto-Detect in the toolbar.
3. RedactLedger extracts all text and runs pattern matching. This usually takes 1–3 seconds.
4. The Detect tab in the sidebar populates with every match grouped by page.

What Gets Detected

Pattern	Example
Account numbers	**** 1234, Acct: 987654321
Sort codes / routing numbers	12-34-56
Card numbers (partial)	XXXX XXXX XXXX 5678
Email addresses	user@example.com
Phone numbers	+1 (555) 000-0000
National ID / SSN	XXX-XX-1234
Dates of birth	DOB: 01/01/1990

Pro tip: If a number could be either a ZIP code or an SSN, RedactLedger will flag it as ambiguous and ask you to confirm.

Toggling Items

Every detected item has a toggle switch. Turn it on to add a redaction rectangle; turn it off to remove it. Changes are reflected instantly on the canvas.

Redact Entire Lines

Click Redact Lines to cover the full text line containing each flagged item — not just the item itself. Useful when the surrounding text provides context that should also be hidden.

Limitations

Auto-Detection only works on PDFs with a searchable text layer (not scanned images). For scanned documents, use Manual Redaction to draw over sensitive areas.