Guide · Bank statements
Redact a bank statement before you send it
Landlords, lenders, visa offices and accountants ask for bank statements, and most of them need only part of what is on the page. BlurData finds the account and card numbers, IBANs, addresses and transaction references on every page, lets you choose what stays visible, and removes the rest from the file. On your Mac, without uploading the statement anywhere.
Get BlurData for Mac How it worksWhat to hide on a bank statement, and what to leave
Start from what the recipient asked for. A landlord checking income usually needs your name, the period and the money coming in. An accountant may need every transaction but not your card number. Hide everything else.
Account and card numbers
Account numbers, IBAN, BIC/SWIFT, full and masked card numbers. These are what fraud starts from, and almost nobody needs them in a copy.
Transactions that are nobody's business
Payments to doctors, shops, friends or family. Double-click a merchant name to hide it everywhere it appears, or draw a box over the rows you want gone.
Codes and contact details
Addresses, phone numbers, and the QR codes or barcodes some banks print on statements, which can carry your account number and address.
How to redact a bank statement with BlurData
Drop the statement into BlurData
The PDF from your online banking, a scanned paper statement or a photo taken with your phone. Several months at once works too.
Choose the Bank Statement preset
IBANs, BIC/SWIFT codes, card numbers, transaction references, dates, names, addresses, account numbers and amounts are found on every page.
Decide what stays visible
Remove a detection to keep it, for example the closing balance. Double-click any word to hide it on that page or everywhere, or draw a box over a whole row.
Export a new PDF
The hidden data is taken out of the file, not just covered, and the original document's metadata is not carried over. Press Cmd+F in the copy and search for your account number: nothing should come up.
Before you send a redacted statement
Some lenders, banks and government offices require the complete statement and will not accept a redacted copy. Ask what they need to see first. Redaction is for hiding what the recipient does not need, never for changing what the statement says: balances, dates and the transactions you leave visible stay exactly as your bank printed them.
Other financial documents
Pay stubs and W-2s
The US W-2 / Pay Stub preset finds SSNs, EINs, routing numbers, names and addresses.
Invoices
The invoice preset hides VAT IDs, IBANs, names and addresses and keeps the line items readable.
Credit card statements
The same Bank Statement preset covers card statements. Switch on Barcodes & QR codes for the codes they often carry.
All presets are listed on the document presets page. If yours is missing, request one and we usually ship it within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send a redacted bank statement to a landlord or lender?
Often, but ask first. Many landlords, employers and accountants only need the account holder, the period and the balance or income, and accept a copy with account numbers and unrelated transactions hidden. Some lenders and government offices ask for the complete statement. A redacted copy should only hide parts of the statement, never change what it shows.
What does the Bank Statement preset detect?
IBANs, BIC/SWIFT codes, full and masked card numbers, transaction references, dates, phone numbers, names, addresses, account numbers and amounts. You can switch any category off before exporting and add your own patterns.
Can I keep the balance visible and hide the rest?
Yes. Remove the detection on the balance, or switch the Amounts category off and draw boxes only over the rows you want hidden. You see the result on the page before you export.
Does it work with a scan or a phone photo of a statement?
Yes. Paper statements that were scanned or photographed are read with on-device OCR, so the same numbers and names are found. In the exported file the covered areas are replaced pixels.
Is my bank statement uploaded anywhere?
No. Reading, detection and export all happen on your Mac. There is no upload, no account and no cloud service involved.
Can it hide the QR code or barcode on a statement?
Yes. Turn on Barcodes & QR codes and every code on the page is covered, together with the number printed under it. Codes on statements often carry the account number and address.