How to download masked Aadhaar card to hide your ID

Aadhaar is an important document for an Indian citizen. It is required for things like opening a bank account, buying a new mobile connection, or even starting a new job. While most platforms need the full Aadhaar number, you do not always need to provide your entire Aadhaar number to all services. Instead, you can use the masked Aadhaar card, which hides several digits from the number to make it less prone to unauthorised access.

How you can obtain a masked Aadhaar card in simple steps:

— Visit the official website of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) (uidai.gov.in/en).

— Click on “Login” and then head to the section where your Aadhaar number is needed.

— Enter your Aadhaar number and then the Captcha code displayed on the screen.

— Now, click on “Send OTP,” after which you will receive a one-time password on the mobile number registered with Aadhaar.

— Enter the OTP and then click on “Login.”

— Click on the “Download Aadhaar” option. Here you will see two options, with one saying “Do you want a masked Aadhaar?”

— Click on the “Download” option once again.

— The masked Aadhaar card will be downloaded to your device as a PDF file.

— Opening the PDF file of the masked Aadhaar card requires a password, which is the first four letters of your name in capital and your year of birth in YYYY format.

Things to remember

— You should download the masked Aadhaar card from the official UIDAI website. It is not advisable to download it from any other website.

— The masked Aadhaar will show only the last four digits of your Aadhaar number for privacy purposes. Revealing the entire Aadhaar number will defeat the purpose.

— Since the masked Aadhaar is password protected, you may need to provide the recipient with the password. This might reveal your year of birth to the concerned person.