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How to redact phone numbers and personal details in text message exhibits

Updated November 8, 2026

Message histories are full of other people’s details: phone numbers, email addresses, children’s names, home addresses. Before an exhibit is filed or shared, some of that may need to go, and it has to go properly.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Courts set their own rules for exhibits, redaction and authentication, and they differ from place to place. Check your court's local rules or ask the clerk or an attorney.

When redaction is required

Many courts limit personal identifiers in filings. In US federal courts, Rule 5.2 allows only the last four digits of Social Security, taxpayer ID and financial account numbers, the year of a birth date, and a minor’s initials, unless the court orders otherwise. State courts have their own versions, and family courts often have extra rules about children. Phone numbers are not on the federal list, but removing third parties’ numbers is often expected or simply considerate.

The black-box problem

Drawing a black rectangle over text in a PDF does not remove the text. It can often still be selected, copied or found with search. Real redaction removes the text from the file. In our tool, redacted text is replaced before the PDF is drawn, so it never enters the PDF at all.

How to redact in the tool

1. Load your export. Open the tool and choose your text backup or WhatsApp export.
2. Choose phone redaction. Under Redaction, choose to keep only the last 4 digits of phone numbers or remove them.
3. Remove emails. Tick “Remove email addresses” if needed.
4. List other words. Type names, addresses or other words to redact, one per line. They are replaced with [redacted].
5. Relabel people if needed. To show a participant by initials or a role, type a label next to their name in the Participants list.
6. Check the preview. Read the preview carefully. Automatic detection can miss unusual formats or catch numbers that are not phone numbers.
7. Create the PDF. Create the PDF. The source log records your redaction settings and how many redactions were made, without listing the redacted words.

What gets replaced

Limits to keep in mind

• Numbers written unusually (“five five five, oh one four three”) are not detected. Add them as words to redact.
• Long numbers that are not phone numbers, such as some order numbers, may be redacted too. Check the preview.
• The source log keeps the original file’s SHA-256 hash. That is intended: it identifies the unredacted original, which you keep, without revealing its contents.
• Redaction changes the PDF only. Keep the original export unchanged.