Getting Started
Install the anonym.legal add-in, sign in, and anonymize your first document in Microsoft Word in under 5 minutes.
Install the Add-in
There are two ways to install the anonym.legal add-in for Microsoft Word.
Option A: Microsoft AppSource
- 1.Open Microsoft Word
- 2.Go to Insert → My Add-ins → Store
- 3.Search for "anonym.legal"
- 4.Click Add to install
Option B: Sideload Manifest
- 1.Go to Insert → My Add-ins → Upload My Add-in
- 2.Enter the manifest URL:
https://anonym.legal/office_addin/manifest.xmlSideloading is useful for testing or when AppSource is not available in your organization.
Sign In
After installation, the add-in panel appears on the right side of Word. Sign in with your anonym.legal account.
Zero-Knowledge Authentication: The add-in supports ZK auth. Your password is never sent to the server -- only a cryptographic proof. This means even we cannot see your credentials.
Don't have an account? Create one for free -- the free plan includes 200 tokens per month.
Analyze Your Document
With a Word document open, click the Analyze button in the add-in panel. The add-in extracts the text and sends it to the anonym.legal API for PII detection.
- Detects 285+ entity types (names, SSNs, credit cards, medical records, and more)
- Supports 48 detection languages
- Results appear in a list with entity types, values, and confidence scores
Review in Preview Window
Before applying changes, use the Preview Window to review exactly what will be changed. The Preview Window shows:
- Side-by-side original and anonymized text
- Method selector -- switch between Replace, Mask, Redact, Hash, or Encrypt
- Language and preset selectors for quick adjustments
Choose Method and Apply
Select your preferred anonymization method and click Apply to modify the document.
"John Smith" → "<PERSON_1>". Reversible with mapping file.
"john@example.com" → "j***@e******.com". Preserves format.
"John Smith" → "[REDACTED]". Irreversible, maximum privacy.
"John Smith" → "a1b2c3d4...". Consistent across documents.
Fully reversible with the correct encryption key. Best for workflows requiring deanonymization.
Tips for First-Time Users
- Use the Preview Window -- always review detected entities before applying. You can change the method, language, and preset from within the preview.
- Ctrl+Z to undo -- if you apply anonymization and want to revert, use Word's standard Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo the changes.
- Save presets -- if you anonymize similar documents regularly, create a preset to save your entity selection, method, and operator configuration.
- Preserve Formatting -- enable this option in settings to maintain bold, italic, and underline formatting when anonymizing.