Swap names, emails, and phone numbers for placeholders before you paste text into ChatGPT or Claude. Paste the reply back and the real details return.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter is never sent anywhere.Your input is never sent anywhere.
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Details to detect
Text with placeholders
ADVICE
Ask the AI to keep placeholders such as [Person1] exactly as written. The Copy with AI instruction button adds that line for you.
Mapping table
Detected and added items show up here, each paired with its placeholder.
Add manually
The mapping table is cleared when you leave or reload this page. Detection is pattern-based, so review the result before you paste it anywhere.
Reversible PII Pseudonymization, Not Just Redaction
Before you paste an email thread, meeting notes, or a customer message into ChatGPT or Claude, you may want to hide who is in it. Blacking out names or swapping them for tags like [NAME] does that, but the AI reply then has nothing to put back. A response written for [NAME] still has to go to a real person.
This tool replaces names, organizations, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and other details with numbered placeholders such as [Person1] and [Email1], and keeps a mapping table beside your text. Paste the AI reply into the Restore tab and every placeholder is switched back to the original value.
The mapping table lives in your browser memory. The tool does not send your text or the table to a server, and reloading the page clears both.
When to Swap Names Before Using ChatGPT or Claude
Draft a reply to a customer email
Replace the sender name, email, and shipping address, let the AI write the reply, then restore the details so the draft is ready to send.
Summarize meeting notes with attendee names
Ask for a summary or action items with attendees shown as [Person1], [Person2], and so on. Restore the names in the final version you share.
Proofread a document that mentions real people
Send a letter, case study, or report for editing without handing over the names of the people in it. Restoring takes one paste.
Get feedback on a sensitive message
Swap the names of the people involved so the AI sees roles and tone, not identities, then restore them in the revised draft.
Hide a client or project name
Company names ending in Inc, LLC, or Corp are detected for you. For other client or project names, add them by hand and they are handled the same way.
How to Replace Names with Placeholders and Restore Them
- On the Replace tab, paste your text, or select Try an example to see how it works.
- Choose which kinds of details to detect, then select Detect & Replace. Use Add manually for anything the detector missed.
- Check the mapping table and the result. Rename placeholders now if you want different labels.
- Select Copy or Copy with AI instruction, and paste the text into ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI chat.
- Open the Restore tab, paste the AI reply, and copy the restored text.
Note: Keep this tab open between steps. Reloading the page clears the mapping table, and the reply can no longer be restored.
Limits of Pattern-Based PII Detection
- Detection is based on patterns and will miss some details, such as nicknames, names in lowercase, and numbers without separators. Read the result before you paste it into an AI chat.
- Replacing is case-sensitive. If you add John Smith by hand, john smith is not replaced. Restoring ignores case, so [person1] still matches [Person1].
- Letters and digits at the edges of an item must stand alone. Adding Ann does not change Annual, and longer items are replaced before shorter ones.
- A replaced name can still be identified by what is around it, such as a job title, a rare event, or a project name. Add those details by hand if they matter.
- The mapping table lists the real values. Copy mapping table puts them on your clipboard, so store or clear them with care.
- This tool replaces text. It is not a compliance certification, so check your organization policy before sharing sensitive data with any AI service.
What Gets Detected: Placeholder Formats and Rules
Ten categories, each with its own numbered placeholder. You can switch any category off before you run the detection.
| Category | How it is detected | Placeholder |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., or Prof. plus a name; a common first name plus a last name; a name right after a greeting (Hi, Dear) or sign-off (Thanks, Best,) | [Person1] |
| Organization | Capitalized words ending in Inc, LLC, Corp, Corporation, Co, Ltd, LLP, LP, or PLLC. Other names via Add manually | [Org1] |
| Standard [email protected] format | [Email1] | |
| Phone | US formats: (555) 123-4567, 555-123-4567, 555.123.4567, with an optional +1 | [Phone1] |
| Address | Street number, street name, and a suffix such as St, Ave, or Blvd, plus an optional unit, city, state, and ZIP | [Address1] |
| ZIP code | ZIP+4 (12345-6789), or 5 digits right after a two-letter state | [ZIP1] |
| SSN | Three, two, and four digits separated by dashes or spaces | [SSN1] |
| Card number | 16 digits in groups of 4, or 15 digits in a 4-6-5 pattern starting with 34 or 37. Format only, no checksum | [Card1] |
| IP address | IPv4, such as 192.168.1.10 | [IP1] |
| Date | May 5, 2026; 5 May 2026; 05/05/2026; 2026-05-05 | [Date1] |
Repeated values share one placeholder, and restoring replaces every occurrence at once.
Redaction vs. Pseudonymization for AI Prompts
A few practical points to keep in mind when you work with personal details and AI.
Redaction removes details; pseudonymization lets you bring them back
Redaction deletes or masks a detail for good. Pseudonymization swaps it for a stand-in and keeps the key somewhere else. If the AI output has to be used with the real names in it, you need the second approach, because the key is what makes the swap reversible.
Ask the AI to keep your placeholders as written
An AI that polishes your text may rephrase a tag like [Person1] into a description. State in your prompt that placeholders must stay exactly as written. The Copy with AI instruction button adds a line that says so.
Treat the mapping table as sensitive
The table pairs each placeholder with the real value, so it is as sensitive as the original text. Do not paste it into the AI chat, and clear it when the job is done.
Fill the gaps with manual entries
Patterns are good at emails, phone numbers, and other fixed formats. Company names, project names, and first names used alone are easier to miss. Select the text and use Add manually before you copy the result.
Common Mistakes That Leak Data or Break Restoration
Pasting the result into AI without reading it
Detection missed a name or an address, and the text was sent as is.
💡 See the solution▼
Replacing the full name but leaving the first name
Jane Doe became [Person1], but a later sentence still says Jane on its own.
💡 See the solution▼
The AI rewrites a placeholder
[Person1] came back as the client or that person, so that spot cannot be restored.
💡 See the solution▼
Renaming placeholders after sending the text
You edited [Person1] in the table after the AI had already seen it, so the reply no longer matches.
💡 See the solution▼
Reloading the page before restoring
The tab was closed or refreshed while you waited for the AI, and the mapping table is gone.
💡 See the solution▼
FAQ: Placeholders, Mapping Table, and Privacy
Q.How is this different from a PII redaction tool?
A. A redaction tool blacks out or tags details (for example [NAME]) and stops there, so the original values are gone from the output. This tool swaps each detail for a numbered placeholder such as [Person1] and keeps a mapping table. When you paste the AI reply into the Restore tab, every placeholder is replaced with the original value.
Q.Is my text uploaded anywhere, and where is the mapping table kept?
A. The tool runs in your browser and does not send your text or the mapping table to a server. Both are held in the page memory only, so reloading or closing the tab clears them. Clipboard buttons copy text on your device and nothing else.
Q.Will it catch every name, address, and number?
A. No. Detection is pattern-based. Names are found after a title (Mr., Dr.), as a common first name plus a last name, or right after a greeting or sign-off. A lowercase name, a nickname, or a first name on its own can be missed. Numbers without separators, such as a 10-digit phone number, are also skipped. Review the result and use Add manually for anything left.
Q.What if the AI changes a placeholder?
A. Restoring works by matching the placeholder text, ignoring upper and lower case. If the AI rewrites [Person1] as the customer, that spot stays as written. The Restore tab warns you about numbered tags that are not in your mapping table. To lower the risk, ask the AI to keep the placeholders as written. The Copy with AI instruction button adds that line for you.
Q.Can I rename the placeholders?
A. Yes. Edit any placeholder in the mapping table, for example [Person1] to [Client]. Do it before you copy the text to the AI. If you change a placeholder afterward, the AI reply will no longer match it. Duplicate placeholders are shown in red because they cannot be restored correctly.
Q.Does it work for non-US phone numbers and addresses?
A. Phone numbers, street addresses, ZIP codes, and SSNs follow US formats. Emails, IPv4 addresses, card numbers, and dates in the formats listed in the table work anywhere. For anything else, add the value with Add manually and it is replaced and restored like any other item.
Q.Does replacing names make my text safe to share under HIPAA or GDPR?
A. This tool cannot promise that. It only replaces the text it finds, and other details in the text can still point to a person. If you handle regulated data, check your organization policy or ask your privacy or legal team before sending it to any AI service.
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