Search terms · Word sets · Patterns
Hide exactly the words you choose in a PDF
Sometimes you do not need to anonymize a whole document, just hide something very specific: a client's name, a project that is still confidential, the surnames on a staff list or the name of a supplier. Doing it by hand in an 80-page report means checking every occurrence, including those in tables, notes and appendices, and hoping you did not miss one.
In Spain, plans are arranged with our sales team.
In Anonimatum you tell the tool what to look for. Type the terms, load a saved word set with names or internal codes, or define a pattern for text with a fixed structure, such as a case reference. Every occurrence in the document is located and shown in the preview before anything is hidden, so you can confirm one by one which ones must disappear.
Then you choose how hidden text should look: a black box with no text behind it, or a replacement label that keeps the document readable, such as WITNESS 1. And if a term matches something that must stay visible, like your own company name, the whitelist leaves it alone every time it appears.
How to hide specific text
- 1
Define what to hide
Type the terms, pick a saved word set (clients, projects, staff) or switch on a pattern for email addresses or IBANs.
- 2
Protect what must stay
Whitelist terms that match but must remain visible, such as your registered company name or a public body.
- 3
Choose the style
Black box with no text, or a replacement label, depending on whether the reader only needs to read the document or also to follow who is who.
- 4
Review and apply
Check each match in the preview, discard those that do not apply and download the redacted PDF.
Fictitious document
Before and after: internal investigation report
Fictitious whistleblowing report. People are replaced by labels; the project, the supplier and the email are blacked out using a word set and a pattern.
Report no. 2025-017 · Purchasing Department
Reporting person: Sergio Núñez Prieto
Person concerned: Elena Ferrer Gómez
Witness: Marcos Ibáñez Luna, Logistics team
The facts concern the tender for project Atlas North
and payments to the supplier Gálvez Supplies Ltd.
Follow-up contact: s.nunez@example-company.eu
Conclusion: a review of the purchasing procedure is recommended.
Report no. 2025-017 · Purchasing Department
Reporting person: REPORTING PERSON
Person concerned: PERSON CONCERNED
Witness: WITNESS 1, Logistics team
The facts concern the tender for project (redacted)
and payments to the supplier (redacted).
Follow-up contact: (redacted)
Conclusion: a review of the purchasing procedure is recommended.
Labels let the committee follow the story without knowing who each person is; the report number, department and conclusion stay because they are needed for the decision.
Four tools to hide only what you want
Search terms
For a one-off job: type the word or phrase and every occurrence is located throughout the document, page by page.
Word sets
Reusable lists of clients, staff, projects or brands. Save them once and apply them to other documents, templates or batches.
Patterns
For text with a known shape: email addresses, IBANs or case numbers, using built-in patterns or your own regular expressions.
Whitelist
Anything that matches but must be seen stays put: your organization's name, a court or a public office that has to appear.
Hiding text in PDFs: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a black box and a replacement label?
A black box leaves an empty bar: the reader knows something was there, but not what. A label replaces the data with text such as WITNESS 1, so the document still reads naturally. In both cases the original data is gone from the PDF.
Can I save my word lists for other documents?
Yes. Word sets are saved and reused in other documents, in templates and in batch processing, so you do not have to type your client or staff list again every time.
What if the term also appears where I do not want it hidden?
Untick that match in the preview: every occurrence can be accepted or discarded before applying. If it is a term that should never be hidden, such as your company name, add it to the whitelist.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes. If a page is an image, OCR recognizes the text before the terms are searched, so they are found in scanned documents too.
Can I combine my own terms with automatic detection?
Yes, if you want to. You can add automatic detection of names, addresses, phone numbers or ID numbers, done by Anonimatum's own AI in the EU, or stick strictly to the terms you entered.
Hide only what has to disappear
Prepare your terms and word sets and try them on a real PDF at app.anonimatum.com before applying redaction.
Try it in the appNot in Spain?