Redact Text Without Making It Unreadable
Sometimes you need to share an email chain, a support ticket, a chat log, or a document — but the real names, addresses, and phone numbers in it are nobody's business. Drawing black boxes over everything makes the text impossible to follow. This tool takes a smarter approach: it finds the sensitive terms, and lets you replace each one with a consistent stand-in, so the text still reads naturally — it just isn't tied to real identities anymore.
Consistent Replacements Keep "Who Said What"
The key is consistency. Every mention of the same person is replaced with the same alias, so you can still follow who replied to whom and who was copied — it just isn't tied to real identities.
Before: Ryan Thompson wrote... then Ryan added... (ryan@acme.com)
After: Marty Moonpie wrote... then Marty added... (marty@example.com)
How to Redact Text
- Paste your text — drop in an email chain, message thread, or any block of text.
- Click Scan — the tool lists the names, email addresses, and phone numbers it found, each with a suggested replacement and a count of how many times it appears.
- Review the list — edit any replacement, uncheck anything you want to keep, and add anything the scan missed. Watch the match counts: a common word with a lot of hits may be a false positive.
- Click Redact — the tool runs the find-and-replace and shows you the clean text to copy or download.
Why It's Completely Private
- Nothing is uploaded — all scanning and replacement happens in your browser with JavaScript. Your text is never sent anywhere.
- Works offline — once the page loads you can disconnect from the internet and it still works. Open your browser's Network tab and watch: no requests leave.
- No accounts, no storage — we never see, log, or keep anything you paste.
Good to Know
- The scan is a starting point, not a guarantee — it reliably catches email senders/recipients and common names, but may miss an unusual name in body text. That's why you review the table before redacting.
- Because it's a find-and-replace, fixing a name also fixes it inside email addresses automatically — but you'll see the full email listed as its own row too, so concatenated addresses like ryanthompson@acme.com are still caught.
- It can't catch indirect identifiers (a role plus a company, a rare job title, a specific location). Re-read the output with those in mind before sharing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I redact text online?
Paste your text and click Scan. The tool finds candidate names, email addresses, and phone numbers and lists them with a suggested replacement for each. Review the list — edit, uncheck, or add terms — then click Redact to get clean text you can copy or download.
Does it keep the conversation readable?
Yes. Each term is replaced consistently — the same name always becomes the same alias throughout the text. If "Ryan" becomes "Marty," every "Ryan" becomes "Marty," so you can still follow who replied to whom. Only the identities change.
Is my text uploaded to a server?
No. All scanning and redaction happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device — nothing is uploaded, stored, or transmitted. You could disconnect from the internet and the tool would still work.
Will it catch every name automatically?
The scan is a helper, not a guarantee. It reliably catches email senders and recipients and most common names, but can miss an unusual name buried in body text. That's why you review the table before redacting — check the match counts, edit as needed, and add anything it missed. Always re-read the output before sharing.
What does it not catch?
It redacts the specific terms you approve — names, emails, phone numbers, and anything you add. It can't detect indirect identifiers, like a job title plus a company ("the VP of Marketing at a small analytics startup"), which can still point to a person. Review the full text for context clues before sharing.
Does this work on my phone?
Yes. It works on any device with a modern web browser — iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and tablets. No app to install.