Redact Dates from PDFs
Detect dates in all major formats — DD.MM.YYYY (Swiss/EU), MM/DD/YYYY (US), YYYY-MM-DD (ISO), written-out ("12 March 2026") — and mask them automatically.

Try for free

Select the PII types to redact, then upload your document. No account required.

Select information types to redact

Drop your file here

PDF, JPG, or PNG (max 5MB)

Select File

*Security first: Your files are securely processed and deleted immediately. Create an account to manage your files, PII and retention settings. This demo only processes the first page. Create an account for full document processing.

Why dates are sensitive

Under HIPAA, dates more granular than year (treatment dates, admission dates, dates of birth) are part of the "Safe Harbor" list of 18 identifiers that must be removed for de-identification. Under GDPR, dates combined with other context can re-identify individuals.

When to redact dates

Date redaction is essential for healthcare de-identification, witness protection in legal filings, and anonymized research data.

  • HIPAA Safe Harbor de-identification (16 of 18 identifiers include dates)
  • Clinical research datasets shared externally
  • Court filings protecting victim/witness timelines
  • Anonymized case studies and publications

Multi-format date detection

Our detector handles numeric formats (DD.MM.YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD), abbreviated formats (12-Mar-26), written-out formats ("12 March 2026", "March 12th, 2026"), and locale variants. Mixed-language documents are handled via automatic language detection.

How it works

  1. 1

    Upload the document(s)

    Medical records, court filings, contracts — batch supported.

  2. 2

    Enable "Date" detection

    Combine with Person, Address, Organization for a full PII sweep.

  3. 3

    Studio review

    Decide which dates to keep visible (e.g., contract year) vs. redact (e.g., DOB).

  4. 4

    Export

    Dates are permanently masked in the rasterized output.

For healthcare de-identification

HIPAA Safe Harbor requires removal of all elements of dates (except year) for individuals 89 or younger. Our date detector covers Safe Harbor identifiers #3, #4, #5, #6 (admission, discharge, treatment, birth dates).

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep some dates (like the report date) visible?

Yes — use Studio review to remove masks from dates you want to keep, or add specific date strings to "Excluded Terms".

Does it handle relative dates like "last Monday"?

Relative references are not auto-detected. If you need them masked, add them to "Always Redact" terms.

What about partial dates like "March 2026"?

Month + year combinations are detected. Year-only references are typically left in (not granular enough to identify).

Ready to redact PII with simplicity?
Gain accuracy and speed compared to Adobe Acrobat and other redaction tools.