Question 1

Is the redacted text really gone, or just hidden?

Accepted Answer

Gone. Every page carrying a redaction is rebuilt as an image — the content under the bars is destroyed at the pixel level, not covered. The redacted values exist nowhere in the output file: not in a text layer, not in the file's raw bytes.

Question 2

Is the redacted PDF still searchable?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Untouched pages keep their original text, and redacted pages get an invisible text layer of every word that touched no redaction box. Scanned pages are OCR'd after redaction, so even a fax or phone photo comes back searchable.

Question 3

What happens to my original document?

Accepted Answer

It's destroyed the moment you press Process — the redacted PDF becomes the only copy, and your audit certificate states this. Until you process, the original is stored encrypted so you can scan and re-scan freely.

Question 4

The scan missed something. Do I have to start over?

Accepted Answer

No, and you aren't charged again. Open the document and choose "Request additional redaction" — anything missed is still visible in the redacted copy, so you can box it and re-process for free. Only a redaction you approved can't be undone.

Question 5

Does it remove metadata, comments, and revision history?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Author info, title, comments, annotations, and revision history are stripped, and the output file's own timestamps are zeroed so it doesn't even reveal when it was processed.

Question 6

What kinds of sensitive data are detected?

Accepted Answer

65+ categories: US and international identifiers (SSNs, passports, UK National Insurance, Australian TFNs, VAT numbers, IBANs), financial and medical data, IT credentials like API keys and passwords, GDPR special categories, plus signatures, handwritten initials, and photographs of faces. You can also add custom patterns.

Question 7

Can it handle scanned documents and phone photos?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pages without a text layer are read with OCR, including tilted phone-camera shots and handwriting. Signatures are detected visually. You review every match before anything is permanent.

Question 8

Can I scan paper documents with my phone camera?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On the Upload page, tap "Scan with your camera" — snap each page and they become one PDF, built entirely on your phone before upload. Dr. Redact never requests camera or photo-library permission: your phone's own camera app takes the photos and hands over only the shots you choose. The redacted result comes back searchable like any other document.

Question 9

What does High Sensitivity do?

Accepted Answer

It runs every detection category at a lower confidence threshold — including strict Safe Harbor dates, GDPR special categories, signatures, and face detection. Expect more detections to review; you can reject a whole category with one click in the review sidebar.

Question 10

Why did two scans of the same document differ slightly?

Accepted Answer

AI detection isn't perfectly deterministic — two scans can differ by a handful of borderline items. That's exactly why every scan goes through your review before anything is burned. The review, not the model, is what makes the output final.

Question 11

How does pricing work?

Accepted Answer

Per page. A document's pages are charged once, when you first process it — re-scans and additional redaction rounds on that document are free. Current prices are on the pricing page.

Question 12

How do I get the free pages?

Accepted Answer

Click Start Free on the home or pricing page — that's the only place the 10 free trial pages are granted. They're one per person; deleting your account and re-registering doesn't grant new ones.

Question 13

Where are my receipts?

Accepted Answer

Every purchase emails you a receipt, and they're all downloadable under Dashboard → Billing, right below your current plan. Promo codes are redeemed on the same page.

Question 14

How do I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

Email support@drredact.com from your account email and we'll sort it out. Refunded purchases remove the associated page credit.

Question 15

How long do you keep my documents?

Accepted Answer

The redacted PDF and its certificate are kept for your plan's retention window — the expiry date is shown on every document, and we email you 7 days and 1 day before deletion. After that they're permanently deleted by an automated daily job, and every deletion writes an audit record. You can also delete any document instantly yourself.

Question 16

Is my data used to train AI?

Accepted Answer

No. Your documents are never used to train models and are never sold. Files are stored encrypted (AES-256) and transferred over TLS.

Question 17

Can I get a BAA for HIPAA work?

Accepted Answer

Yes — paid plans include a click-wrap Business Associate Agreement under Dashboard → Settings → Compliance. Note: PHI uploads are temporarily on hold on all plans while we complete a subprocessor BAA; we'll email every account the moment PHI processing is enabled.

How can we help?

Redaction & output

Scanning & detection

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Security, retention & compliance