CheckBefore

FREE TXT / CSV / XLSX / DOCX / PDF SHARING CHECK

Scan Files for Personal Information and Exposed Secrets

Before a file reaches an AI assistant, client, or public upload, CheckBefore reads supported local text structures for likely personal-information and credential patterns. It keeps those content findings separate from metadata and hidden-file checks, so you can make the next decision clearly.

Processed locally in your browserYour original stays unchanged. The file and filename are not uploaded for a standard scan.

PRIVATE SCAN WORKSPACE

Check a file before it leaves your hands.

Start with 2 free checks — no account needed.Original stays unchanged.

Processed locally
⌁ Your original stays on this device◌ No account needed for a free check

Choose a file or drop it here

SUPPORTED COVERAGE

What can be detected

  • Email addresses, phone numbers, labeled identity numbers, and other supported personal-information patterns
  • API keys, access tokens, credentials, and other supported secret patterns
  • Visible text in TXT and CSV files, cell text and formulas in XLSX, body structures in DOCX, and extractable text layers in PDFs
  • Supported file metadata, comments, hidden content, and document structures where the selected format provides them

CLEAR NEXT STEPS

What can be cleaned—and what needs you

Review required

Personal information

Likely matches are reported with masked evidence and a safe location reference so you can decide whether the source content should be changed before sharing.

Manual check

Secrets and credentials

Supported key, token, and credential patterns are flagged for review. Rotate or revoke a real credential if it has already been exposed.

Can be removed

Metadata and hidden details

Supported metadata and document-structure findings stay separate; eligible metadata cleanup creates a new copy and is followed by a rescan.

ONE LOCAL WORKSPACE

How it works

  1. SelectChoose a supported file from this device.
  2. UnderstandReview the evidence and the stated scan limits.
  3. CleanCreate a separate copy with only supported items removed.
  4. RescanCheck the latest copy again and review anything left unchanged.

HONEST BOUNDARIES

What CheckBefore does not do

  • Pattern-based content checks can miss context-specific information or flag harmless examples. They are a private first pass, not a complete data-loss-prevention system.
  • CheckBefore does not redact, rewrite, anonymize, OCR images, or decide whether a file is safe to share.
  • PDF content coverage requires an extractable text layer; password-protected, scanned-image, or unsupported file structures can result in limited or incomplete coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Does CheckBefore upload my file to scan it?

No. Standard scanning runs locally in your browser. Your original file and filename are not uploaded for the check.

Which content can it scan?

TXT, CSV, XLSX, DOCX, and PDFs with an extractable text layer receive supported local content checks. Images receive metadata checks only; image OCR is not included.

Does it remove personal information or secrets automatically?

No. Content findings are left for your review so that CheckBefore does not silently change the meaning of your document, spreadsheet, or code.