Supported Formats
SAR Portal supports a wide range of document formats for upload, AI analysis, and redaction — over 28 file types across 6 categories.
Fully Supported Formats
These formats have full support for upload, AI analysis, and visual redaction:
PDF Documents
| Aspect | Support |
|---|---|
| Extension | |
| Text extraction | Full |
| OCR (scanned PDFs) | Yes |
| Visual redaction | Yes |
| Searchable output | Yes |
| Max size | 50 MB |
| Max pages | ~500 |
Best for: Reports, contracts, correspondence, exported records
Microsoft Word
| Aspect | Support |
|---|---|
| Formats | .docx, .dotx, .docm, .dotm |
| Text extraction | Full |
| Visual redaction | Yes |
| Formatting preserved | Yes |
| Headers/footers | Redacted |
| Tables & comments | Redacted |
| Track changes | Accepted and redacted |
| Metadata | Stripped on redaction |
| Max size | 50 MB |
Best for: Letters, policies, contracts, memos, templates
Legacy .doc format
Legacy .doc files can be uploaded and stored but require conversion to .docx for full redaction support. We recommend converting to .docx before uploading.
Microsoft Excel
| Aspect | Support |
|---|---|
| Formats | .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm |
| Text extraction | Full |
| Cell-level redaction | Yes |
| Formulas preserved | Yes (in unredacted cells) |
| Multiple worksheets | Yes |
| Cell comments | Redacted |
| Metadata | Stripped on redaction |
| Max size | 50 MB |
Best for: Data exports, spreadsheets, reports, logs, templates
Legacy .xls format
Legacy .xls files can be uploaded and stored but require conversion to .xlsx for full redaction support. We recommend converting to .xlsx before uploading.
Images
| Format | Extension | OCR Support | Redaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNG | .png | Yes | Yes |
| JPEG | .jpg, .jpeg | Yes | Yes |
| GIF | .gif | Yes | Yes |
| BMP | .bmp | Yes | Yes |
| TIFF | .tiff, .tif | Yes | Yes |
| WebP | .webp | Yes | Yes |
Best for: Scanned documents, screenshots, photographs, ID verification
Email Files
| Aspect | Support |
|---|---|
| Formats | .eml, .msg |
| Text extraction | Full (headers + body) |
| Header redaction | Yes (To, From, CC, Subject) |
| Body redaction | Yes |
| Attachment handling | Extracted and processed separately |
| Output format | Redacted PDF |
| Max size | 50 MB |
Best for: Correspondence, DSAR communications, email trails, Outlook exports
MSG auto-conversion
Outlook .msg files are automatically converted to .eml format during upload for processing. No manual conversion needed.
Text-Based Formats
These formats support text extraction and text-based redaction. The redacted output is generated as a formatted PDF:
| Format | Extension | Structure Preserved | Redaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain text | .txt | N/A | Text replacement |
| CSV | .csv | Row/column structure | Value replacement |
| Log files | .log | N/A | Text replacement |
| Markdown | .md | N/A | Text replacement |
| JSON | .json | JSON structure | Value replacement |
| XML | .xml | XML structure | Value replacement |
| HTML | .html | N/A | Text replacement |
| CSS | .css | N/A | Text replacement |
| JavaScript | .js | N/A | Text replacement |
Best for: System exports, configuration files, data dumps, log files, API responses
Structured format handling
JSON, XML, and CSV files receive format-aware redaction that preserves document structure while replacing PII values. Other text formats use standard text replacement.
Complete Format Reference
| Category | Extensions | Count | AI Analysis | Visual Redaction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | Yes | ||
| Word | .docx, .dotx, .docm, .dotm | 4 | Yes | Yes |
| Excel | .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm | 4 | Yes | Yes |
| Images | .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, .tiff, .tif, .webp | 8 | Yes (OCR) | Yes |
| .eml, .msg | 2 | Yes | Yes (PDF output) | |
| Text | .txt, .csv, .log, .md, .json, .xml, .html, .css, .js | 9 | Yes | Text replacement |
| Total | 28+ |
Format-Specific Considerations
PDF Files
Searchable PDFs (text-based)
- Fastest processing
- Best accuracy
- Text directly extractable
Scanned PDFs (image-based)
- Requires OCR processing
- Accuracy depends on scan quality
- Higher processing time
Tips for best results:
- Use high-resolution scans (300 DPI+)
- Ensure text is legible
- Avoid skewed or rotated pages
- Use contrast for clarity
Word Documents
Compatibility
- Best support for .docx (modern format)
- Template formats (.dotx, .dotm) fully supported
- Macro-enabled formats (.docm, .dotm) supported
- Complex formatting generally preserved
What’s Extracted and Redacted
- Body text
- Headers and footers
- Tables
- Comments and track changes
- Metadata (stripped in redacted output)
Excel Files
Processing
- All worksheets processed
- Cell values extracted
- Formulas preserved in unredacted cells
- Hidden rows/columns included
- Cell comments included
Redaction
- Cell-level redaction
- Original formulas preserved in unredacted cells
- Formatting maintained
- Metadata stripped from output
Images
OCR Processing
- Advanced OCR text extraction
- Multiple languages supported
- Handwriting has limited support
- Quality significantly affects accuracy
Best Practices
- Use high resolution images
- Ensure good lighting and contrast
- Avoid compression artifacts
- Straighten skewed images
Email Files
EML Processing
- Parsed using MIME standard
- Headers (From, To, CC, Subject, Date) extracted
- Plain text and HTML body extracted
- Attachments listed and can be processed separately
- Redacted output rendered as PDF
MSG Processing
- Automatically converted to EML at upload
- All Outlook metadata preserved during conversion
- Processed identically to EML after conversion
Text-Based Formats
Format-Aware Redaction
- JSON: Values redacted while preserving keys and structure
- XML: Element content redacted while preserving tags
- CSV: Cell values redacted while preserving structure
- Other text: Standard find-and-replace redaction
Encoding
- UTF-8 with BOM detection
- Encoding preserved in output
Unsupported Formats
The following formats are not currently supported for redaction:
| Format | Reason | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Password-protected files | Cannot access content | Remove password, then upload |
| Encrypted documents | Cannot decrypt | Decrypt first, then upload |
| .pst (Outlook archives) | Archive format | Export individual emails as .msg or .eml |
| Database files (.mdb, .sqlite) | Binary format | Export to CSV or Excel |
| Compressed archives (.zip, .rar) | Container format | Extract contents, upload individual files |
| Video/audio files | Not applicable | Extract transcripts as text |
| PowerPoint (.pptx) | Not yet supported | Export to PDF |
File Size Limits
| Plan | Per-File Limit | Total Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 50 MB | 5 GB |
| Starter | 50 MB | 50 GB |
| Pro | 50 MB | 200 GB |
Handling Large Files
If a file exceeds limits:
- Split into smaller sections
- Compress images (maintain quality)
- Remove unnecessary content
- Contact support for special cases
Upload Validation
All uploads are validated:
Security Checks
- Deep file type verification (actual content, not just extension)
- Content type validation
- Size compliance check
Rejection Reasons
“Invalid file type”
- Extension doesn’t match content
- File is corrupted
- Unsupported format
“File too large”
- Exceeds 50 MB limit
- Compress or split the file
Recommendations by Use Case
Access Requests (Article 15)
- PDF for formatted documents
- Excel for data exports
- Images for ID verification
- Email (.eml/.msg) for correspondence
Erasure Requests (Article 17)
- Excel/CSV for structured data identification
- JSON/XML for system data exports
- Email for communication records
Redaction Priority
- PDF for best visual redaction quality
- Word for editable documents
- Excel for tabular data
- Email for correspondence chains
- Text formats for system-generated data