By George Curta · Last updated 2026-04-07
Getting Started with the Desktop App
Follow these 5 steps to install the Desktop App, set up your vault, and process your first document.
Download the Desktop App
Choose the version for your operating system. Windows is fully supported. macOS and Linux builds are in development.
Which version should I download?
- Installer (.exe): Recommended for most users. Installs to Program Files, supports auto-updates.
- MSI: For enterprise deployments and IT administrators.
- Portable (.zip): No installation required. Run from anywhere — USB drive, network share, or restricted PC.
Install the Application
Windows Installer (.exe)
- Double-click the downloaded .exe file
- If prompted by Windows SmartScreen, click 'More info' then 'Run anyway'
- Accept the license agreement and follow the installer prompts
- Click 'Finish' and launch anonym.legal from the Start Menu or Desktop
Portable (.zip)
- Extract the .zip file to any folder
- Double-click to launch
anonym.legal.exe - No installation required — settings are saved in the same folder
Create Your Vault
The vault secures your encryption keys and app settings using military-grade cryptography.
Generate your 24-word recovery phrase
anonym.legal generates a unique BIP39 mnemonic phrase for you. This phrase is the master key to your vault.
This phrase cannot be recovered if lost. Write it on paper and store it safely. We do not have access to it.
Verify the recovery phrase
You will be asked to confirm a few words from your phrase to ensure you have recorded it correctly.
Set a PIN
Choose a 6-digit PIN for quick day-to-day access. The PIN is derived using Argon2id and never stored in plain text.
Sign In to Your Account
Link the Desktop App to your anonym.legal account to sync your presets, custom entities, and encryption keys.
Browser-based authentication
- Click 'Sign In' in the Desktop App
- Your default browser will open with the anonym.legal login page
- Sign in with your email and password
- The browser will redirect to a local authentication handler
- The Desktop App confirms the login — you are in!
No account yet?
Create a free account to get started. Free accounts include 200 credits to test the platform.
Process Your First File
You are ready! Here is how to anonymize your first document.
Open a file
Click 'Open File' or drag-and-drop a PDF, DOCX, XLSX, TXT, CSV, JSON, or XML file.
Select a preset
Choose a preset (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) to detect the right entity types for your use case.
Analyze
Click 'Analyze' to detect PII in your document. Review the highlighted entities.
Anonymize
Select an anonymization method and click 'Anonymize' to replace detected PII.
Save the result
Save the anonymized document to your chosen location. The original file is never modified.
About this page
We update this page when our platform or the law changes.
Read our founder note for how we work.
Each change shows up in the timestamp at the top.
Related reading
- Common questions
- Glossary
- How tokens work
- Security posture
- Where we comply
- What we detect
- Case studies
- Release notes
We follow these rules
- GDPR (EU 2016/679).
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
- NIS2 (EU 2022/2555).
- HIPAA safe harbor under 45 CFR § 164.514(b)(2).
Our promise
We do not sell your data.
We do not train models on your text.
We store your files in Germany.
You can delete your account at any time.
You own your work.
Where we run
Our servers live in Falkenstein, Germany.
We use Hetzner. They hold ISO 27001 certification.
All data stays in the EU.
Backups run every day.
Need help?
Email support@anonym.legal.
We reply within one business day.
How we test
We run a full check suite on every release.
Each surface gets its own sweep script and report.
Human reviewers spot-check the output each week.
We track recall and precision on a labelled set.
Bad runs block the deploy.
What we never do
- We never sell your information to third parties.
- We never train models on what you upload.
- We never keep your work after you delete it.
- We never share keys with any outside firm.
- We never run ads inside the product.
Plans in plain words
We sell credits, not seats.
One credit covers one short job.
Long jobs use a few credits each.
You can top up at any time.
Unused credits roll over each month.
Read the plans page for current rates.
Who built this
A small team of engineers and lawyers built this.
We ship from Europe and work in the open.
Our founder note spells out why we started.
Where to start
- Open the web app and try a sample file.
- Learn how credits get counted.
- See current plans and limits.
- Meet the team behind the product.
How the parts fit
A browser add-on cleans text inside Chrome.
A Word plug-in handles drafts in Office.
A small desktop tool works on whole folders.
An agent protocol link feeds large models safely.
All four share one core engine and one rule set.
Words from our team
We started this work after a lunch about cookies.
One friend kept getting odd ads on her phone.
We asked why a court file leaked through a draft.
We sketched the first build on a napkin that week.
By month three we had a tiny demo for a friend.
She used it on her first case the next day.
Common questions we hear
Can the tool read scanned PDFs? Yes, with OCR.
Does it work on long files? Yes, in small chunks.
Can I roll my own rule set? Yes, save it as a preset.
Does it run offline? The desktop build runs offline.
Do you keep my files? No, the cloud build wipes after each run.
Will it learn from my work? No, we never train on inputs.
A short tour of the workflow
Upload a file or paste a snippet of prose.
Pick the entities you want gone from the draft.
Choose a method: replace, mask, hash, encrypt, or redact.
Press run and watch the side panel show each hit.
Skim the result and tweak any rule that misfired.
Save the cleaned file or send it to a teammate.