---
title: Redact words across documents
description: Select documents and redact words and phrases across all of them in one step, with an optional label printed on each redaction.
---

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# Redact words across documents

## Remove names, addresses and other sensitive text from many documents at once, without opening each one.

### Before you start

You need the **Edit and Apply Redactions** permission in the data room. If the **Redact** icon does not appear in the Action Toolbar when you select documents, ask your Workspace Manager to give you this permission.

The **Redaction** app must also be switched on for the data room. If your Workspace Manager cannot find the permission, ask them to check that the Redaction app is enabled under **Manage** **Workpace**\> **Apps**.

To use the AI options, the **AI Redaction** app must also be switched on. If **Personal information** and **Custom** are marked **Not enabled**, ask your Workspace Manager to switch on the **AI Redaction** app for your workspace.

### Steps

1. **Select the documents.** In the Documents area, tick the documents you want to redact.  You can select up to 5,000 documents from a single folder.  
   ![](https://gitlab.com/-/project/25003918/uploads/1e682772ab59df641496ce0d45ae8608/redact-words-across-documents-step-01.png)
2. **Open the Redact tool and choose what to redact.** Click the **Redact** icon in the Action Toolbar. In the **Redact** window, under **What should be redacted?**, choose one of these options:
   
     - **Keywords and phrases**: type each word or phrase on its own line. You can enter up to 500, each up to 200 characters long. Every match is redacted on every page of every selected document.
     - **Personal information**: AI finds and redacts names, addresses, dates of birth, contact details, ID numbers, and bank and medical details. You do not need to type anything.
     - **Custom**: AI redacts only what you describe in **Describe what to redact**. For example: “The claimant’s home address and date of birth, but not the names of the solicitors.”
   ![](https://gitlab.com/-/project/25003918/uploads/8d5c92eb4c33b46f8b4b8b4eb97c7c09/redact-words-across-documents-step-02.png)
3. **Add a label and start.** To print a reason on each redaction mark when the document is downloaded, type it in **Label**. Click **Redact N documents** to start.  
   ![](https://gitlab.com/-/project/25003918/uploads/c9dd2297c079140fead9454630e6dac6/redact-words-across-documents-step-03.png)

### What happens next

The redaction runs in the background while you carry on working. You will receive an email when it finishes, with a summary of how many areas were redacted and how many documents had no matches.

The redactions take effect immediately. Users without the **Edit and Apply Redactions** permission will no longer see the redacted text. You can remove individual redactions one by one in the Document Viewer.

If you used an AI option, the email also tells you how many items AI found but could not place on the page. These items are not redacted.

AI can miss items or redact more than you intended, so always check the documents before you share them.

### Good to know

- A word found by the search is redacted wherever it appears, including across pages. Words that would match in a search are also redacted (for example, entering "Smith" also redacts "Smiths"). With the AI options, a name or detail found on one page is redacted wherever it appears in that document.
- You can add a label such as "Personal data" to explain why each area was redacted. The label is printed on the redaction mark when the document is downloaded or printed.
- Documents that are still processing are skipped. Run the redaction again once they have finished.
- If you run the same redaction again, areas that are already redacted are left as they are.

### Questions

**Can I undo a bulk redaction?** There is no single undo for a bulk redaction. You can remove individual redactions one by one by opening the document in the Document Viewer and using the redaction tool.

**Can I redact documents in more than one folder at a time?** Select documents from one folder at a time. To redact documents across several folders, repeat the process in each folder.

**What does Personal information leave visible?** It leaves visible the names of organisations, such as companies, courts, hospitals and wards, and case and reference numbers. Labels such as “Patient Name:” also stay visible, but the details after them are redacted. The names of people in any role are redacted, including doctors, solicitors and judges.

**What should I do if AI misses something?** Redact it in the Document Viewer, or run the redaction again with **Keywords and phrases**. AI reads only the text on each page, so images such as handwritten signatures may not be redacted.

Need help? Please contact our support team at [support@safelinkhub.com](mailto:support@safelinkhub.com).

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