Redaction Categories

Redact By Categories

The Categories feature supports structured redaction by allowing users to search for sensitive information using predefined data categories. It surfaces all relevant matches across the document and enables users to review results, manage instances, and apply redactions consistently using category-based logic. It also provides flexible controls for selecting, managing, and applying redactions in a structured and repeatable way.

This is ideal for applying standardized redaction workflows across similar or high-volume documents.

Why it matters

The Categories feature is designed to make redacting large or complex documents easier by:

• Replacing manual review with category-based searches: Locate specific types of sensitive data across the document without scanning page by page.
• Ensuring consistent redactions: The same category rules are applied across all matches so repeated data is handled uniformly.
• Working with a wide range of data types: Supported categories cover personal, financial, and ID-based information, all available and reviewable in the Categories panel.
• Improving speed across repeated data types: Redact multiple results in one step instead of handling each instance separately.
• Reducing review errors: Structured detection helps surface commonly missed data during manual redaction.
• Category Templates standardize redaction workflows: Save and reuse sets of categories to apply the same detection logic across documents without rebuilding the setup each time.

Using the Categories feature

Accessing the tool

1. From your Redactable dashboard, open your document.

2. The “Redaction Wizard” appears automatically when the document opens. From the “Redaction Wizard” select the “Categories” option.

3. You can also select the "Categories" button (the paper icon) on the top right navigation from the redaction toolbar.

4. When the Categories feature opens, it will appear in the sidebar with a list of all available redaction categories.

Running a category search

5. In the Categories panel, select the categories you want to use.

6. Click Search to locate matching content.

7. The system will scan the document and display the words that fit into the selected categories.

Applying a Category Template

Reviewing results

11. Review the highlighted suggestions and select items to redact. 

12. To change how results are displayed, switch to “View by Page” to see suggestions in document order.


Selecting items

13. To redact a specific item, click on a highlighted suggestion.


14. Click on “Redact Items” to apply the redaction.

15. To select all suggested results, click on “Select All Items”.


16. Click on “Redact items” to apply all selected redactions at once.

Managing results with the three-dot menu

18. You can select all results for that instance, by choosing the option “Select All” (available when some items are unselected).

19. To remove all results for that instance, choose the option “Remove All”.


20. If you want to unselect all results, choose the option “Unselect All” (available when all items are selected).

Adding a redaction reason

21. To add a reason to selected redactions, open the “Add Reason” modal from the three-dot menu.

22. A text input field allows users to add new redaction reasons. To add a custom reason, enter text in the input field.

23. To apply the selection, click on the “Add Reason” button.

24. The dropdown menu contains predefined redaction reasons. To use a predefined reason, select one from the dropdown list.

25. To apply the selected redaction reason, click on the “Add Reason” button.

26. To apply a FOIA exemption, search and select a code (e.g., (b)(2), (b)(3)) from the dropdown list.

27. To apply the selected FOIA exemption, click on the “Add Reason” button.


28. The selected reason, exemption, or text will be applied to the chosen redactions.


Removing or deleting redactions

29. To remove the item from suggestions, click on a highlighted term and select the “Remove” option. Removed results will not reappear unless Auto Redaction is rerun or refreshed.


30. To delete a redaction, click on the highlighted redaction in the document and select the “Delete Redaction” option.

Finalizing your document

31. To complete the redaction process, review all applied redactions, and click on “Finalize Redaction” to permanently apply changes.

Complete List of Redaction Categories

Redactable currently supports detection and redaction of the following categories:

Personal Identifiers

• Addresses

• Ages

• Date of Birth

• Email Addresses

• Full Names

• Genders

• IP Addresses

• Last Names

• MAC Addresses

• Phone Numbers

• Races/Ethnicities

Government & ID Numbers (U.S.)

• Driver’s License

• Driver's License: Except Last 4

• EIN

• EIN: Except Last 4

• Full SSNs

• ITIN

• Last 4 SSN open

• SSNs (no dashes)

• VIN

• VIN: Except Last 4

Financial Information

• Account Numbers

• Account Numbers: Except Last 4

• Amounts

• Credit Cards

• Credit Cards: Except Last 4

• Credit Card CVVs

• Credit Card Expiries

• IBAN

• SWIFT Codes

• Bank Account Number

• Bank Account Number: Except last 4

• Bank Routing

Other Sensitive Data

• Dates & Times

• Eight Digit Numbers

• Six Digit Numbers

• Zip Codes

• Columns

• Tables

Business & Digital

• Company Names

• Credentials

• Handwriting

• Images

• Face Detection

• Links / URLs

• Logos

• Signatures

• QR Codes

• Barcodes

International ID Categories

UK ID Numbers

• UK National Health Service Number

• UK National Insurance Number

• UK Unique Taxpayer Reference Number

• UK Phone Numbers
• UK Postal Codes
  

Canada ID Numbers

• CA Health Number

• CA Social Insurance Number

India ID Numbers

• IN Aadhaar

• IN NREGA

• IN Permanent Account Number

• IN Voter Number

If you have additional questions or need help, please contact us at support@redactable.com.

Tip: For detailed instructions on how to use the Redaction Wizard, click here.