Quick answers about preparing text, using token labels, restoring original values, local data, and retention in GoBauer Redact & Restore.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, open the how-to guides. For a specific problem, visit Help and support. Review the exact Preview before sharing and use only a destination authorized for the information you choose to send.
Getting Started And Editions
What does GoBauer Redact & Restore do?
It helps you prepare selected text for an approved sharing workflow. Bring text into Source, inspect the proposed replacements in Review, and check the exact Preview before copying what you choose to share. Selected details are replaced with descriptive token labels. When a labeled reply comes back, Restore can put matching original values back using authorized local records.
You decide what to share and where to send it. The app does not submit an AI request for you or make a destination appropriate for sensitive information.
What stays free, and what do Pro and Corporate add?
The Free session edition supports Review, redaction, copying, and Restore using new in-memory rules and records. There is no time limit while that app session remains open. Exit, sign-out, restart, or a crash ends the session. Earlier authorized saved records can remain available for recovery.
Pro and Corporate add saved working records and reusable choices, including Project continuity, Future rules, and custom pattern-matching rules. Keeping eligible new records after Exit also requires choosing Save on this device. Saving is optional; you can continue with Memory vault selected.
The Pro upgrade is a one-time purchase with no subscription where offered. Company licenses follow their issued terms. Check Editions and purchases in the app and the published edition information for the offer available to your installation.
What is the difference between Memory vault and Disk vault?
Memory vault keeps new working records for the running session. Finish any Restore that depends on those records before the session ends. Closing a window may leave the app running in the system tray; Exit ends the session.
Disk vault saves eligible working records in encrypted local storage when your edition and settings permit it. Those records can support later Restore while the matching records and authorization remain available. Retention settings govern when saved records become eligible for cleanup.
Switching to Memory vault does not by itself erase previously saved data. Use the app's recovery, retention, and deletion controls to manage earlier records.
Core detection, Redact, PDF text extraction, and Restore run on your device. The app does not automatically upload Source text, original values, Restore records, restored text, or source-context metadata.
Microsoft Store licensing and purchases, and website links you deliberately open, can use network services. App help links do not add document text or source context to their addresses. When you paste text into an AI service yourself, that service handles the submission under its own account, privacy, and retention settings.
Optional source-context capture can read the foreground app name and window title locally to suggest an internal document name. It does not read browser history or address fields, inspect favicons or browser-tab icons, or use UI Automation to read other apps. A window title can still contain sensitive text or a URL. Treat a suggested source name as a hint, not proof of where copied text came from.
Proposed internal document names are checked locally before being applied. A warning lets you choose a neutral name, edit the proposal, or explicitly keep it. This rule-based name check can miss sensitive text and does not use the optional local AI model. Document names follow the storage and retention of the records containing them. Optional metadata watching does not read clipboard text in the background.
Does the app find and protect every sensitive detail?
No. Automatic detection can miss names, unusual formats, context, and unexpected identifiers, and it can mark harmless text. Inspect both the replacements and the information left readable. Correct the result in Source or Review and check the complete Preview before sharing.
Replacing selected details does not establish that the remaining text is safe to share. Follow the rules and permissions for your task and destination. The app cannot control a copy after you share it.
A token label is a descriptive placeholder for a value you chose to replace. It does not contain an encrypted copy of that original value. Restore uses a separate matching protected record under the current Windows user context and the authorized document or Project scope.
Keep complete labels unchanged when using them in an AI request or reply. Labels alone do not make information anonymous or authorize access to the originals.
What does a recipient receive, and can the recipient Restore it?
The recipient receives the exact text you choose to copy or share. That includes the labels and any words, facts, or context you leave readable. For replaced values, the app does not attach the private Restore records or reverse mappings to the reviewed text.
Receiving labels alone does not give the recipient the matching records or authorization needed to Restore them in GoBauer. If you separately share restored text, original values can leave your device. Remaining context may also identify someone, and a service you use while signed in can associate your submission with that account.
Does pseudonymization make text anonymous or ready for legal filing?
No. Replacing details with labels is pseudonymization. Labels do not by themselves establish anonymity, legal de-identification, compliance, or permission to disclose information.
GoBauer Redact & Restore is designed for text-sharing and AI workflows. It is not a document-sanitization tool for court filings, public-record productions, discovery, or tasks requiring removal of hidden content or metadata. Use the review and sanitization process required for the actual purpose.
Restore matches intact labels in the returned text with authorized local Restore records and substitutes the original values. A matching record must still be available in the current session or in previously saved records under the Windows user context. Document and Project scope checks still apply.
Check the restored values, their placement, facts, and recipients against the original task. Matching labels do not prove that an AI reply kept the meaning correct. Use restored text only in a destination authorized to receive the original information.
The label may have been changed or copied incompletely, or its matching record may be unavailable. For example, the session that held a memory-only record may have ended, the saved record may have been deleted, or the current Windows user or scope may lack the required authorization.
Check the complete label and the authorized record and scope available to this installation. Buying an upgrade or importing a company license does not recreate a missing record or grant access to another user's data. See Restore troubleshooting in the Help guides.
The app cannot reconstruct original values from labels alone after the matching Restore records are gone. Deleting records from the active vault can prevent later Restore of text containing those labels. Removing a saved redaction rule is a separate action and does not by itself erase existing Restore records.
Separate backups, exports, source documents, or operating-system copies can contain older information. Active-vault cleanup does not prove that every other copy or storage-media remnant has been erased. Manage those copies separately.
What do automatic redaction Category switches control?
The nine automatic Categories determine which recognized findings are automatically highlighted and replaced during explicit analysis. Turning a Category off does not necessarily stop its recognition: above-threshold findings can remain visible under Detected, not redacted for manual review. Manual Redact, Allow, Other, and Restore remain available.
This differs from choosing Off - saved rules only as the automatic redaction Level, which turns off automatic checks and local AI. Saved rules and manual choices can still apply. Source naming and optional metadata watching are separate settings.
Start with Standard and inspect the result. Strict broadens checking, and Maximum accepts more built-in findings for review, which can include extra highlights. Maximum + local AI can add supported person-name findings when its permission is enabled and the installed model is available.
Compare Levels lets you inspect differences without changing the document's selected Level just by opening the comparison. Choose the Level you want and review its actual result. No Level guarantees complete detection, and a confidence score is not a measured probability of correctness.
The installed person-name model can add Identity findings when Maximum + local AI is enabled and selected. Other Categories use their existing recognizers. The model runs on this device, can take longer, and can miss or split names. If it cannot run, the built-in Maximum result remains available.
Check its permission, verified version, and availability under Settings > Automatic redaction rule default settings > Local AI for person names. When the permission is off, the AI Level is disabled and Compare Levels uses Standard, Strict, and Maximum only.
How do Project rules and shared labels work together?
A Project groups related documents locally. Its saved rules hold Allow or Redact instructions; shared labels help keep corresponding values assigned consistent labels across its documents. In Settings > Projects, choose a Project to review its Rules and Shared labels. Normal redaction does not require visiting both tabs.
Restore still needs matching authorized Restore records. Removing a rule does not erase those records, and stopping label reuse does not rewrite text already shared. Project continuity requires the applicable paid features; keeping new records after Exit also requires saving on this device. A Project is not a shared team vault.
In Review, select the alternate or child term, then choose Link words from the toolbar or right-click menu. Choose the parent whose saved action, Category, Type, and scope should apply. The confirmation shows the rule being reused. If no parent rule exists, you can confirm a new This document rule.
Each linked term retains its own Restore binding, so a nickname or acronym can restore to its exact original wording. Unlinking removes the relationship without removing independent rules or existing Restore records. Parent scope changes require confirmation; removing or expiring the parent removes its link metadata, while disabling the parent suspends its links.
Free document links stay in the running session. Project and Future links need the applicable paid features, and Future links also require saving on this device. Document and Project links follow their parent rule's retention. Future rule definitions are managed separately; Restore records always follow their own retention settings.
Why can a Type name differ from its token-label family?
Type choices use friendly names and compact label families. Related recognition names can share one label family, and existing documents can retain labels created by an earlier version. A different display name does not grant broader Restore access or rewrite previously shared text.
Use the current Category and Type choices shown by the app, check the resulting Preview, and keep complete labels intact. Existing authorized Restore mappings remain the basis for recovery.
Yes, if the PDF has a readable text layer. Drag it into the app or use File > Open. Text extraction runs locally; review the extracted Source and the exact Preview before copying. During Loading Source, you can cancel before final analysis and keep the current Source unchanged.
A scanned or image-only PDF needs optical character recognition (OCR) in another tool first. Check extracted text against the original for omissions, ordering, and look-alike characters. The app does not provide general OCR, image redaction, or removal of hidden PDF content and metadata. Preparing a text copy does not sanitize the original PDF.
Where can I change built-in detection, dictionaries, or custom regex rules?
Use Settings > Built-in automatic redaction detection rules for supplied checks. With the applicable paid features, Custom automatic redaction detection rules lets you create and validate your own regular expression (regex) checks. Save valid changes, then reanalyze open documents to update their results.
Review and source behavior contains local name-dictionary controls. Personal wordlist customization also requires the applicable paid features. Reload dictionaries after editing. Existing customizations are retained unless you explicitly reset them.
Dictionary additions and custom regex configuration can be readable local files. Avoid putting confidential names or values into these files; use protected document or Project rules for that purpose. Detailed dictionary filenames, locations, reset behavior, and examples belong in the customization guide.
For a new or reset configuration, saved Restore records, Document and Project rules, and shared Project-label records start with 90-day limits. Developer diagnostic traces have a separate 30-day default. Existing saved choices are preserved when updating the app, including an earlier Never choice.
These groups use different age references: Restore records use creation time, Document and Project rules use last modification, and Project-label records use last-seen activity. Restoring text does not renew a Restore record's creation date. Future rule definitions are managed separately.
A day limit makes records eligible for cleanup. It does not guarantee deletion on that day: approval, enabled schedules, the app running, and organization-managed settings can affect when cleanup occurs.
In Disk mode, a compact reminder can identify saved working-record groups that are overdue or due within 14 days. Memory-only session records end with the session and do not need an age-retention reminder. Diagnostic traces are handled separately from this working-data banner.
Ask before pruning is on by default. When an enabled startup or daily scheduled check finds overdue saved working records requiring a decision, the daily confirmation appears before pruning and pauses that cleanup. OK runs the reviewed overdue batch. Review retention opens the controls so you can inspect or change limits; Keep paused or closing the review does not authorize deletion.
No. Don't show again on the compact banner hides that advisory only. It does not change your day limits, authorize pruning, or suppress a required scheduled-cleanup confirmation. Restore the banner with Show compact retention reminder in Settings > Retention.
The separate Don't ask again option in the cleanup confirmation authorizes future scheduled cleanup under the chosen limits only when you confirm it with OK. Turn Ask before pruning back on in Retention settings to restore review before scheduled cleanup.
What happens if I do not open the app for several months?
Cleanup cannot run while the app is fully closed. When you return, enabled checks compare saved records with their retention limits. If approval is required, overdue working records remain until you approve cleanup. Review the counts and extend a limit or allow the reviewed cleanup.
If you previously authorized automatic cleanup, eligible records can be removed by an enabled check. Previously unseen overdue saved working records receive one notice period of up to seven days; organization policy can shorten it. Previously warned records do not receive a fresh notice period merely because you restart the app. Review retention before relying on old records for a future Restore.
Never turns off automatic age-based cleanup for that record group. It does not disable manual deletion or remove Windows-user and document/Project authorization checks.
Choose a finite period that fits the work when possible. Keeping more saved originals and mappings for longer increases the amount of information retained if a device or Windows account is compromised. The interface uses Never rather than a confusing numeric zero.
No. A reusable Future rule definition is managed separately from its associated Restore records. Keeping that rule does not keep the original Restore values indefinitely or grant permission to Restore unrelated text.
Future definitions are removed explicitly rather than by document age cleanup. Their older source hints follow the applicable context-retention limit, and Restore records follow their own limits. Review Future rules separately when you no longer need them.
The main Help page is https://gobauer.com/products/redact-and-restore/help . Guided troubleshooting in the app can prepare support details. Inspect generated files before sharing and do not send confidential source text, original Restore values, private licenses, or unreviewed exports as routine support material.
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