Help & FAQ
Questions, answered.
clean.ink redacts PDFs entirely in your browser — your document is never uploaded. Below are the things people ask most about privacy, payment, and using the tool. Still stuck? There’s a way to reach us at the bottom.
Privacy & safety
Your document never leaves this device. Here is exactly how that works.
- Is my document uploaded anywhere?
- No. Your document is never uploaded. clean.ink does all of its work — opening the PDF, finding sensitive details, redacting, and exporting — entirely in your browser. The only network call the app ever makes is to verify a payment, and that call never includes your file. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and still finish the job.
- Is the redaction permanent, or can the hidden text be recovered?
- The covered content is removed from the exported file, not just hidden under a black box. Unlike drawing a rectangle in a markup tool or macOS Preview — where the text underneath can still be copied out — clean.ink flattens the output so the redacted content is gone. As a final check, always download and review the export yourself before you share it.
- What happens when I close the tab?
- The document is gone from memory. Because nothing was uploaded or stored on a server, closing the tab clears the file from your browser. The next time you visit, you start fresh with a new document.
- Do you store or see my files?
- No. We never store your files, and no one at clean.ink ever sees them. There is no document storage on our side — by design, there is no backend that could hold your file in the first place.
Payment & license
Pay once, redact forever. No subscription, no account — just a license key you keep.
- How much does it cost?
- $6.59, once, for lifetime access. Pay one time and you can download clean, watermark-free files forever — no subscription, no recurring charge, and no account to create. Your files still never leave this device.
- What do I get for free versus paid?
- Free, you can redact a document and preview the result on screen with no payment and no account — the preview is watermarked and stays on your device (there is no free download). The redaction is just as real as the paid output. Paying $6.59 once lets you download clean, watermark-free files, on this document and every document after it.
- How do I use my license on another device or browser?
- Your purchase is a portable license key, not an account. To unlock clean exports on a new device or browser, open the export panel, choose to redeem a key, and paste your license key. clean.ink validates it locally and restores your unlocked state — no sign-in required.
- I lost my license key — what do I do?
- Your license key is included in the Paddle receipt email sent when you paid, so check there first. If you still can’t find it, email [email protected] with your Paddle order number and we’ll help you recover access.
- How do refunds work?
- We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Request a full refund within 30 days of your purchase by emailing [email protected] with your Paddle order number, or through Paddle directly. Payments and refunds are handled by Paddle, our Merchant of Record.
Using the tool
What clean.ink supports, what it detects, and how to get the result you want.
- What file types are supported?
- clean.ink works with PDFs. It handles text-based PDFs directly and runs on-device OCR for scanned pages when it can recover the text. Files can be up to 20 MB and 25 pages. If a file can’t be safely redacted, clean.ink tells you clearly — and nothing was ever uploaded.
- What does it automatically detect?
- It flags structured personal information: Social Security numbers, bank account and routing numbers, salary and dollar amounts, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. You review each detection before it’s redacted. Freeform text like names or employers isn’t auto-detected — you add manual boxes for those.
- It missed something, or flagged something wrong — what do I do?
- You’re always in control of the final result. Draw a manual redaction box over anything the detector missed, and dismiss any detection you don’t want redacted. Because you review and adjust before exporting, you decide exactly what’s covered. Always review the export before sharing it.
- Does it work on mobile?
- clean.ink runs in your browser, and the workspace adapts to a single-column layout with a sticky export action on smaller screens. As with any device, review your export before sharing to confirm the result.
- Why is there a watermark on the preview?
- The free, on-screen preview carries a “clean.ink preview” watermark so you can verify the tool did exactly what it claimed before you pay — the preview is not downloadable. Unlocking lifetime access for $6.59 once lets you download clean, watermark-free files, now and forever.
Still need help?
We’re a short email away.
For anything about a purchase — a lost license key, a refund, or a charge you don’t recognize — email [email protected] with your Paddle order number. For everything else, reach [email protected].