Masking hides eight digits, not your face. That one line explains both why a masked Aadhaar (often searched as "masked aadhar card") beats a plain xerox and why it isn't a free pass to share it everywhere.
What does masked Aadhaar mean?
"Masked" means the first eight digits of your 12-digit Aadhaar number are hidden and only the last four show (UIDAI). It isn't a separate card: UIDAI says the masked facility "is available only in e-Aadhaar", the PDF you download. UIDAI also says e-Aadhaar is as legally valid as the original it issues.
Everything else stays: your name, photo, gender, date of birth, address and the QR code.
Masked Aadhaar vs photocopy: what each one shows
| Plain photocopy (xerox) | Full e-Aadhaar PDF | Masked e-Aadhaar | Aadhaar app QR share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aadhaar digits visible | All 12 | All 12 | Last 4 | None, or the last 4 if the request asks |
| Name, photo, date of birth, address | Yes | Yes | Yes | Only the fields the request asks for |
| Signed by UIDAI | Only its QR code | Yes, digitally | Yes, digitally | Yes |
| Best for | Avoid if you can | Your own records | Landlord, HR, college, print shop | Hotels, hospitals and other places with a UIDAI QR request |
The last column is the newest option. With UIDAI's Aadhaar app, launched in January 2026, the organisation shows a QR, you scan it, and it gets a digitally signed credential with only the fields that use needs (PIB). Where that works, it beats any copy.
How to download a masked Aadhaar card
The download is free, but it needs an OTP on the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar (UIDAI My Aadhaar).
- Open UIDAI's My Aadhaar page and, under Keep Aadhaar Secure, choose Download Masked Aadhaar. It opens the myAadhaar download page; labels there may differ slightly.
- Enter your Aadhaar number, Virtual ID or enrolment ID, and the security code if one is shown.
- Enter the OTP sent to your registered mobile.
- Make sure the masked option is selected, then download the PDF.
- Open it and check that only the last four digits are visible before you send it anywhere.
No mobile linked to your Aadhaar? Register one at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre first. Our guide to sharing an Aadhaar copy safely covers the other official tools: the Aadhaar app, offline e-KYC and DigiLocker.
What is the masked Aadhaar password?
The PDF is locked with the first four letters of your name, in capitals, followed by your year of birth (UIDAI). UIDAI's own examples, all born in 1990:
| Name on Aadhaar | Password |
|---|---|
| SURESH KUMAR | SURE1990 |
| SAI KUMAR | SAIK1990 |
| P. KUMAR | P.KU1990 |
| RIA | RIA1990 |
Spaces are skipped, a dot counts as a character, and a name shorter than four letters is used as it is.
That password is weak: anyone who has seen your Aadhaar knows both halves. So a PDF left in a print shop's Downloads folder is effectively open. Delete it before you leave, or skip downloading it there at all (see print at a xerox shop without logging in).
Is masked Aadhaar valid everywhere?
UIDAI says e-Aadhaar is as valid as the physical card, and a masked Aadhaar is an e-Aadhaar. It doesn't say anything separate about the masked version, so a few places may still insist on the full number. A masked copy also can't help where a form or system needs your full number typed in, because there you are quoting the number, not handing over a copy.
The rules lean towards masking anyway. RBI's KYC directions tell banks to make sure a customer redacts or blacks out the Aadhaar number where authentication isn't required. UIDAI's regulations say agencies that authenticate Aadhaar must mask the first 8 digits before storing a photocopy. So when a bank asks for a full-number xerox, a masked one is what RBI's own rule points to, and anywhere else it follows the spirit of those rules. UIDAI also advises against putting your Aadhaar on public platforms such as social media (UIDAI).
Which Aadhaar guide do you need?
- Someone is asking for your Aadhaar right now (hotel, landlord, recruiter, print shop): how to share an Aadhaar copy safely.
- You've already handed out plain copies: can someone misuse your Aadhaar xerox?
- They also want your PAN: is it safe to share your PAN card?
- You need a printout: keep documents private at a print shop.
- You only have a photo or scan of the card: mask the first 8 digits and add a watermark in your browser, nothing uploaded.
- You'd rather read it in Hinglish: aadhar card share karna chahiye ya nahi?
What a masked Aadhaar does not do
- It doesn't hide your name, photo, date of birth or address.
- Its QR code still carries your details. UIDAI's secure QR holds your demographic data and photo, the last four digits, and a masked mobile number and email.
- It doesn't stop the person you give it to from copying or forwarding it.
Where NO SUS fits
When someone wants the masked PDF on their phone, you can send it as a Burn File link from nosus.foo: it is encrypted in your browser, opens once, and needs no account for either of you. The person who opens it can still save or screenshot it, so the masking and the purpose note still do the real work.