How to mask your Aadhaar number on any document

Your Aadhaar number turns up in more places than your Aadhaar card: rent agreements, KYC forms, employment paperwork, loan files. When you share those documents, the person receiving them often doesn't need the full number. Here's how to hide it properly.

Option 1: Download a masked Aadhaar from UIDAI

For your Aadhaar card itself, UIDAI offers a masked Aadhaar. According to UIDAI, it replaces the first eight digits of your Aadhaar number with "xxxx-xxxx" and leaves only the last four visible. It's available only on the e-Aadhaar, which you can download from the myAadhaar portal using a one-time password sent to your registered mobile number.

This is the simplest option when someone asks for a copy of your Aadhaar card. It only works for the card UIDAI issues, though. It doesn't help when your number is typed into another document.

Option 2: Redact the number in other documents

When the number appears inside a rent agreement or a form, you need to remove it from that document yourself.

1. Decide how much to hide. Hiding the first eight digits mirrors the masked Aadhaar, and the last four let the recipient match the document to you if they need to. If they don't need it at all, hide all twelve digits.
2. Use a real redaction tool. Drawing a black shape over the number usually leaves the digits in the file underneath. Use a redact function that removes the content, or a tool that rebuilds the page.
3. Find every copy. Aadhaar numbers are often repeated: on a signature page, in a witness section, in a scanned annexure. Search the document for the last four digits to find them all.
4. Check the result. Select all, copy, paste into a plain text note, and make sure the hidden digits don't appear.

A quick note on spotting real Aadhaar numbers

An Aadhaar number is 12 digits, and the last digit is a check digit calculated from the other eleven. That's why Ombly doesn't flag every 12-digit number it sees: it checks that a candidate passes the Aadhaar checksum before suggesting it, which cuts down on false alarms from account numbers and reference codes.

Where Ombly fits

Ombly is built for exactly this kind of document. It suggests Aadhaar, PAN, IFSC and bank details across every page, lets you review each one, and produces a clean copy with nothing left underneath, on your own computer. Join the waitlist to try it first.

If you're unsure whether a black box really hides anything, start with A black box is not a redaction.