# Privacy scanner

> Scan a PDF for emails, phones, SSNs, and cards in your browser. Free privacy scanner — report only, no upload. Review before you share.

Canonical: https://mypdf.space/tools/privacy-scanner
Last updated: 2026-10-26

## Short answer

Privacy scanner runs entirely in your browser. Scan a PDF for PII patterns and report what was found, without removing it. No account, no watermark, and the file never leaves your device.

## About this tool

Scan a PDF for PII patterns and report what was found, without removing it.

Scan for common PII patterns and get a report — nothing is removed until you redact.

Scan a PDF for PII patterns and report what was found — without removing anything. Use it as a first pass before Auto-redact or manual Redact. Needs selectable text; run OCR first on scans. The report stays on your device.

## How to use

1. Open a PDF with selectable text.
2. Run the scan.
3. Review the report; redact separately if needed.

## What you need

- One PDF with selectable text

## Notes

- Reports matches only — it does not remove anything until you use a redact tool.

## FAQ

### What does the privacy scanner detect?

Common PII patterns in extractable text: emails, US SSNs, phones, credit cards (Luhn-checked), IPv4, IBAN, and Aadhaar/PAN-style IDs. It does not modify the file.

### Does a clean scan mean the PDF is safe?

No. Pattern matching is best-effort. Images without OCR, handwritten data, and uncommon formats can hide PII. Review hot pages on the sensitivity map.

### What should I do after finding matches?

Use Auto-redact PII for pattern matches, or manual Redact for anything the scanner misses. Pair with Deep Clean before external share.

## Related

- [Auto-redact PII](https://mypdf.space/tools/auto-redact-pii)
- [Redact](https://mypdf.space/tools/redact)
- [Confidential Send](https://mypdf.space/tools/workflow)
- [Remove metadata](https://mypdf.space/tools/remove-metadata)
- [Encrypt PDF](https://mypdf.space/tools/encrypt-pdf)
- [Fingerprint](https://mypdf.space/tools/fingerprint)
- [Category](https://mypdf.space/security)