PII Removal Tool for
PDF, Word, and Excel
Upload any document. AI detects names, SSNs, emails, phone numbers, addresses, financial account numbers, and 25+ PII types. Redact PII from PDF, Word, and Excel files after reviewing each finding, then download a clean copy safe for sharing.
New to redaction? What does redacted mean?
What Is PII Removal?
PII removal is the process of identifying and eliminating personally identifiable information from documents before they are shared, published, or archived. The goal is to prevent private data — names, Social Security numbers, addresses, financial details — from being exposed to unauthorized viewers.
Organizations across legal, healthcare, finance, and HR are required by regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA to remove or protect PII in documents before sharing them externally. Even without a regulatory requirement, removing PII is a best practice for protecting client and employee privacy.
Redactly uses AI to detect PII across PDF, Word, and Excel files, giving you a review step before any changes are applied. You see exactly what was found and choose what to keep or remove.
Examples of PII
Any data that can identify a specific individual is considered PII. Here are the most common categories AI detects in documents.
Personal Identity
Full names, dates of birth, SSNs, passport numbers, driver’s license numbers
Contact Information
Email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, IP addresses
Financial Data
Bank account numbers, credit card numbers, salary figures, tax IDs
Employment Data
Employee IDs, job titles paired with names, performance reviews, payroll data
Medical Information
Medical record numbers, insurance IDs, diagnoses linked to individuals
Government Data
Visa and immigration details, court case numbers, benefit information
How AI PII Detection Works
Three steps. No manual searching. No configuration.
1. Upload your document
Drag and drop any PDF, Word, or Excel file. Redactly extracts text from the document directly in your browser.
2. AI detects all PII
AI analyzes the extracted text and identifies names, SSNs, emails, phone numbers, addresses, financial data, and 25+ other types by understanding context, not just patterns.
3. Review and download
See every detection with color-coded labels. Keep or reject each item. Download your clean file with PII replaced by [REDACTED].
PII Removal vs Redaction
PII removal is the broader goal: preventing private data from being exposed when documents are shared. Redaction is one common method for achieving that goal — it involves hiding, replacing, or obscuring sensitive content before a document leaves your organization.
Other PII removal methods include deleting data entirely, anonymizing records so individuals cannot be re-identified, or using data masking techniques. Redaction is often preferred because it preserves the document's structure and readability while protecting sensitive information.
Redactly uses AI-powered redaction to detect and handle PII across PDF, Word, and Excel files. For PDF files, visual overlays obscure detected content. For Word files, text is replaced directly in the document. For Excel, cell values are replaced with [REDACTED].
Remove PII from PDF, Word, and Excel
One tool covers the three most common document formats. No format conversion needed.
Upload any PDF. AI scans extracted text for PII. Detected items are highlighted with color-coded overlays you can review before applying. PDF redaction is free.
How to redact PDF →Word (.docx)
Upload any Word document. AI detects PII in the text and replaces it directly in the document XML. The redacted .docx preserves formatting and layout. Word redaction is free.
How to redact Word →Excel (.xlsx)
Upload any spreadsheet. AI scans every cell across all sheets for PII. Detected values are replaced with [REDACTED]. Excel PII removal is available on Pro and above.
Remove PII from Excel →PII Removal for GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA
Removing PII before sharing documents helps meet data protection requirements under major privacy regulations.
EU Data Protection
Requires data minimization — only collect and retain PII that is strictly necessary. Individuals have the right to erasure. Fines: up to 4% of annual global revenue or €20 million.
Healthcare Privacy
Mandates protection of 18 specific identifiers under the Safe Harbor method. Applies to any document containing patient or health plan member data. Fines: up to $1.9M per category per year.
California Consumer Privacy
Requires businesses to protect consumer personal information. Consumers can request deletion of their data. Statutory damages: $100–$750 per consumer per incident.
PII Removal Software
PII removal software scans documents for personally identifiable information and helps users remove or obscure it before sharing. Modern tools use AI to detect PII by understanding context rather than relying solely on pattern matching, which means they catch names, addresses, and account numbers that regex-based tools would miss.
Redactly is a PII removal tool that works with PDF, Word, and Excel files. It shows every detection before making changes, so users can review and approve each one. Try it free →
PII Redaction Software vs PII Removal Software
People often search for PII removal software and PII redaction software when they need the same outcome: keep personal information from being exposed. PII removal describes the privacy goal, while PII redaction is the practical workflow used to find sensitive text, review it, and obscure or replace it before a document is shared.
Redactly combines both workflows. AI identifies PII in PDF, Word, and Excel files, then you approve each detection before creating a redacted copy. That makes it useful for compliance reviews, legal sharing, HR spreadsheets, financial statements, and other documents that contain personal data.
AI-Based PII Detection and Redaction Tool
AI-based PII detection goes beyond simple pattern matching. Instead of searching for fixed formats like SSN patterns or email structures, AI understands the context around each piece of text. This means it can identify a person's name even without a label, recognize an address from surrounding content, and flag financial data that doesn't follow a standard format.
Redactly uses AI to detect names, SSNs, emails, phone numbers, addresses, financial data, and 25+ other PII types across PDF, Word, and Excel files. For PDFs, visual overlays obscure detected content. For Word, text is replaced in the document XML. For Excel, cell values are replaced with [REDACTED]. Learn more about redaction →
Privacy & Security
Your files are handled locally where possible. Extracted text may be sent securely to our AI provider for PII detection. Redactly does not intentionally store original documents or use document content for training.
Product Limitations
PDF and Word redaction are available on the free plan. Excel (.xlsx) PII removal requires Pro or above. PDF redaction applies visual overlays to obscure detected sensitive information. Word (.docx) redaction replaces text in the document XML.
What to review before sharing
- •AI detection may miss some sensitive information or flag non-sensitive content. Always review the redacted document before sharing.
- •PDF redaction applies visual overlays. For highly sensitive documents, the underlying text may still be extractable by advanced tools.
- •Word and Excel redaction replaces detected text values in the document structure. Review all changes before distributing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PII?
What file formats does the PII removal tool support?
Is PII removal the same as redaction?
Do I need to create an account to remove PII?
Is my file uploaded to a server?
Which regulations require PII removal?
Last updated: May 2026