How to redact a bank statement
Landlords, lenders, accountants and AI budgeting tools often ask for a bank statement, but they rarely need all of it. Here's how to hide your account number, balances and other people's details on a PDF statement without uploading it anywhere.
Open the redaction tool Free, no account. The file stays on your device.Quick steps
- Open maskyourdocs and choose the statement PDF. Enter its password if asked.
- Type the first 8 digits of your account number into Find text and press Mask all.
- Use Draw box for anything else: balances, payees, your address.
- Press Export, then Generate, then Download.
Before you start: check what they'll accept
Some organisations need a statement exactly as the bank issued it. Visa offices, mortgage lenders and courts may reject a statement that has been changed, or ask for it to come straight from the bank. If you're not sure, ask what they need to see before you redact anything.
Redacting works best when someone needs only part of the statement: proof that rent or salary was paid, or the balance on a particular day.
What to hide and what to keep
Usually hide
- Your full account number (keep the last 4 digits)
- Customer ID, CIF or relationship number
- Card numbers
- Home address, phone number and email
- Balances, if they only need to see certain payments
- Names, account numbers and UPI IDs of people you paid or were paid by
- QR codes and barcodes
Usually keep
- Your name
- The bank's name
- The statement period
- The transactions they asked about
Step by step
Step 1: Open the statement
Go to maskyourdocs, press Choose a file and pick the PDF. Many banks email statements as password-protected PDFs; the bank's email or website explains what the password is. If the PDF asks for a password, enter it. The redacted copy you download has no password.
Step 2: Hide your account number everywhere
Statements repeat the account number in headers, footers and summary boxes. Rather than hunting page by page, type the part you want hidden, such as the first 8 digits, into Find text. The count shows how many times it appears. Press Mask all, then look at each new mark: they're outlined in amber so you can check them.
Type the number the way the statement prints it, including any spaces. Find text ignores capitals and line breaks, but 1234 5678 won't match 12345678.
Step 3: Hide names and IDs in the transactions
For each payee or UPI ID you want hidden, type it into Find text and press Mask all. For a one-off line, choose Select text and sweep across it instead.
Step 4: Hide a whole column, such as the balance
Choose Draw box and drag one tall box down the column on each page. Boxes work on any PDF, and the text under them is removed on export, not just covered. On a phone or tablet, rest a finger on the spot until a ring appears, then drag. A quick swipe still scrolls, and two fingers pinch to zoom.
Step 5: Export and check
Press Export, then Generate. The tool reopens the new PDF and checks that every value you marked is gone. If it says Still readable elsewhere, a value you marked also appears on a page you didn't mark: close the result, use Find text for it, and export again.
Step 6: Download
Press Download. The copy's name starts with maskyourdocs.com-, so you can tell it from the original.
If something doesn't work
Select text is greyed out
The statement is locked against copying, and the tool respects that. Find text and Mask all still work, and so does Draw box.
Find text finds nothing, but I can see the number
Some bank PDFs store their text in a scrambled form, so it can't be searched or copied. The tool spots this when the file opens and tells you to draw boxes instead. Use Draw box for everything.
Every page of the result is an image
When a PDF is password-protected, its pages can't be copied into the new file as they are, so every page is flattened to an image. The result says Whole document flattened. The copy is still correctly redacted; it's just larger and can't be searched.
The browser tab closed on my phone
Long statements use a lot of memory while exporting. In the export window, choose Screen: 150 DPI, or redact the statement on a computer. See redacting on iPhone and on Android.
Questions
Can I hide my balance but keep the transactions?
Yes. Choose Draw box and drag a tall box over the balance column on each page. The rest of the statement stays readable.
Will the redacted statement still need a password?
No. The redacted copy is a new PDF without a password, so send it through a channel you trust.
Can I redact a bank statement on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari or Chrome on a phone. For long statements, choose the 150 DPI setting when you export, so the phone doesn't run out of memory.
Is it OK to redact my own bank statement?
Hiding details on your own statement before sharing it is common. But don't submit a redacted statement where an unaltered original is required, such as a visa or loan application, unless they've said it's acceptable. This is general information, not legal advice.