Sanitizer

Sanitizer is a desktop application that prepares documents for use with large language models by removing sensitive information before anything leaves your machine. It converts PDFs and Word files into clean Markdown and CSV formats, strips out names, contact details, credentials, client identities, and other classified data, then indexes the result so you can search it later. The entire process runs locally with no cloud uploads and no account required.

The problem it solves is straightforward. You want to use AI tools on internal documents, but those documents contain information that should not flow through external servers. Copy-pasting into ChatGPT exposes client names, API keys, and details you would rather keep private. Sanitizer sits between your files and the LLM, creating a cleaned version you can share without worrying about what slips through.

Processing happens in three steps. First, the tool converts your input files into lightweight formats, stripping the bloat that comes with complex Word or PDF layouts. Second, it applies a sanitization policy to remove or replace sensitive fields with opaque tokens. If you want to undo the redaction later, there is an option to map those tokens back to the originals on your own machine. Third, it builds two indices over the cleaned content, one for full-text search and one for semantic search, so you can retrieve the right document when you need it.

The Personal edition is free. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, takes around 450 megabytes of disk space, and installs per-user without admin rights. Because the installer is unsigned, Windows SmartScreen will show a warning, but SHA-256 hashes are available for verification. The Business edition costs forty-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents per month, adds automatic updates, and distributes through the Microsoft Store with Microsoft signing so the SmartScreen warning goes away.

Target users fall into two camps. Individuals who want to use AI on personal files without exposing private details will find the free edition sufficient. Businesses that need to prepare company documents, protect client data, and build searchable knowledge bases will benefit from the Business tier and its smoother update path.

Limitations are worth noting. The tool focuses on PDFs and Word documents, so other file types are not covered. Sanitization depends on how well the tool recognizes sensitive patterns, which means unusual formats or heavily obfuscated data may require manual review. And the free edition's unsigned installer is a minor friction point on Windows.