How to Find and Redact PII in Excel
You need to share a workbook but it might hide emails, phone numbers, or card details that mustn't leave the building. Here's why Find and Replace can't catch them — and the one-click way to flag or mask every one.
Last updated: August 2026
| Cell | Flagged / masked | |
|---|---|---|
| Call 555-0100, card 4111… | → | Phone + Card (flagged) |
| 4111 1111 1111 1111 | → | •••• •••• •••• 1111 (masked) |
Why Find and Replace can't do it
Excel has no built-in PII detection. Find & Replace matches literal text, so it can't recognise the many shapes a phone number or card takes, and it certainly can't tell a genuine payment card from any other 16-digit number. Writing SEARCH or ISNUMBER formulas for each pattern is brittle and still misses validation, so sensitive values slip through into files you send out.
The 1-click way — Tellsheet's Scan for PII
Run Scan for PII to flag what each row contains, or switch to redact and mask every match in place. It finds emails, phone numbers, payment cards — validated with the Luhn checksum so real cards are told apart from ordinary numbers — national IDs, and IP addresses. Pairs with Anonymize Data and Audit Data Quality.
Frequently asked questions
What does it detect?
Emails, phone numbers, payment cards (Luhn-checked), national IDs, and IP addresses.
Can it flag without changing data?
Yes — flag what each row contains first, then decide whether to mask.
Does it mask in place?
Yes — switch to redact and every match is masked, ready to share.
Why not just use Find and Replace?
It can't match varied formats or validate a card number; Scan for PII does both.
Related Excel guides
Catch personal data before you share
Scan for PII flags or masks emails, phones, Luhn-checked cards, IDs, and IPs across your sheet in one click.
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