How to Mask an Aadhaar Number in a PDF(First 8 Digits, Free)
An Aadhaar copy goes to a lot of people: a landlord, a hotel, a gym, a mobile shop, an employer's HR team. Many of them only need to see your name and address, and a PDF copy can be forwarded, saved and searched long after you sent it.
Masking means hiding the first 8 digits and leaving the last 4, the form XXXX XXXX 1234. Doing it properly matters: a black box drawn over the digits in most PDF tools leaves the number in the file, where anyone can copy it out. This guide covers the quick route (UIDAI's own masked download), then how to mask a copy you already have so the digits are removed from the file. Every number on this page is a sample, not a real Aadhaar number.
What a Masked Aadhaar Means
An Aadhaar number has 12 digits. A masked Aadhaar shows only the last four. The first eight are replaced by XXXX XXXX, so the recipient can still match the copy to you without holding the whole number. UIDAI, the authority that issues Aadhaar, offers a masked Aadhaar download for this reason.
Masking hides the number only. Your name, photo, date of birth, address and the QR code stay on the page unless you cover them too, so decide what the recipient actually needs.
Try UIDAI's Masked Download First
Masked at the source. UIDAI's download page has a masked Aadhaar option, so the first eight digits are hidden before you get the file.
Digitally signed. UIDAI issues its PDF as a digitally signed file, which a recipient who verifies signatures can check. A copy edited in any tool no longer carries a valid signature.
Use LanaPDF when you hold a copy already. A scan, a phone photo, a PDF someone sent you, or a file where you also want to hide the date of birth, address or QR code.
Ask the recipient. Some checks need the full number. If they say so, give it the way they ask. If they accept a masked copy, send that.
Download and sign-in steps are UIDAI's to set, so follow the instructions on its own site, uidai.gov.in. The rest of this guide is for the copy you already have.
Mask an Aadhaar in Five Steps
- Open the file in the LanaPDF editor. Drag it onto the page or click to choose it. It opens in your browser; the file is not uploaded. If the PDF is password-protected, as the PDF UIDAI issues is, enter its password when asked. The file is unlocked on your device.
- Find every copy of the number. The number can appear more than once on a page, so do not rely on covering the first one you see. Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac), choose Text in the find bar and type the first eight digits of your own number as printed, such as 0000 0000 in our sample. The search ignores the space, and every match is highlighted.
- Click Redact all. Each match gets a black box over the digit groups it found. The last group is not touched, and one Undo removes every box. If your copy prints the number as one unbroken run of 12 digits, Redact all covers the whole run, so use Tools > Redact and drag across the first eight digits by hand instead.
- Cover what the recipient does not need. With Tools > Redact, drag over the date of birth, the address, a 16-digit Virtual ID if one is printed, and the QR code. A scanner app can read a QR code, and it may hold more than the masked number printed beside it.
- Save. Every page with a redaction is saved as a flattened image with a hidden text layer that leaves out the covered words. The first eight digits are removed from the file, and the rest of the page can still be searched and copied. If the file had a password, the Save dialog starts with it ticked: keep it only if the recipient will have the password. Then run the checklist below.
Keep the Last Four Digits
A masked Aadhaar keeps its last four digits, and so should your copy, because that is what lets the recipient match it to you. Redact all leaves the last group alone. By hand, start the box at the beginning of the number and let go before the last group.
The last four stay on the page and may still be found by a search, which is what a masked Aadhaar is meant to show. The first eight digits are gone from the file: a search for them finds nothing.
Why a Black Box Is Not Enough
The quick fix is a black rectangle or a thick highlight over the digits. In most PDF tools that only adds a shape on top. The digits underneath are still text in the file: select the area, copy, paste into a note, and the whole number appears. Search finds it too, and so does anything that reads the text layer. Why redacted text is still in your PDF shows how often this happens.
LanaPDF removes the covered text when it saves, in any modern browser, with no install. For names, addresses and other text, see blacking out text in a PDF.
Aadhaar Photos and Scans
Many Aadhaar copies are a phone photo of the card or a scan of a photocopy. LanaPDF opens JPG and PNG images as well as PDFs. Open the image, choose Tools > Redact and drag the box over the first eight digits. The box is burned into the image when you save, as a PDF or, from the Save dialog's "Save as" row, as a PNG or JPG image.
To use the find bar on a photo, run Tools > OCR first so the digits are read. OCR can misread a digit, so check every highlighted match against the page and cover any it missed by hand. A scanner app may also have added an invisible text layer that holds the number; LanaPDF leaves covered words out of it when saving.
Checklist Before You Send
- Open the saved file and search (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) for the first eight digits, with and without the space. Nothing should be found.
- Select all the text on the page, copy it and paste it into a note. The first eight digits should not appear.
- Check every page and every part of the page. The number can repeat, and a header or footer is easy to miss.
- Check that the QR code, date of birth and address are covered if the recipient does not need them.
- Check the file name. aadhaar-000000001234.pdf undoes the masking.
- Attach the saved copy, not the original. Keep the original somewhere private.
FAQ
How do I mask an Aadhaar number in a PDF?
Open the PDF in LanaPDF at lana-pdf.com/app, press Ctrl+F, search for the first eight digits of your number and choose Redact all, or choose Tools > Redact and drag across them. Save the file. The covered digits are removed from the file, so searching the saved PDF for them finds nothing.
What does a masked Aadhaar show?
A masked Aadhaar shows only the last four digits of the 12-digit number. The first eight digits are replaced by XXXX XXXX.
Should I download a masked Aadhaar from UIDAI instead?
If you can, usually yes. UIDAI's download page offers a masked Aadhaar, which hides the first eight digits before you get the file. Use LanaPDF when you only have a scan, a photo or a PDF you already hold, or when you also need to hide other details.
Does a masked copy made in LanaPDF keep UIDAI's digital signature?
No. Any edit to the file, in any tool, means it no longer carries a valid UIDAI signature. If the recipient needs to verify the signature, download the masked Aadhaar from UIDAI instead.
Can I mask an Aadhaar photo or scan?
Yes. LanaPDF opens JPG, PNG and PDF files. Drag the Redact box over the first eight digits and save; the box is burned into the image. For a scan or photo, run Tools > OCR first if you want the find bar to locate the digits.
Is my Aadhaar file uploaded?
No. The file is opened and edited in your browser on your own device, and it is not uploaded.
Is it free to mask an Aadhaar in a PDF?
Editing and exporting are free and need no account or card. Free exports carry a small LanaPDF footer on each page. A 7-day pass removes the footer and can be paid for with UPI or a card.
Mask an Aadhaar number now
Search for the first eight digits, click Redact all, save. They are gone from the file. Runs in your browser, no upload.
Edit and export for free. Free exports carry a small LanaPDF footer watermark.