Identity & Documents
Download e-Aadhaar, use a masked Aadhaar, and lock your biometrics
How to download your e-Aadhaar PDF, open it with the correct password, share a masked version that hides your number, and lock your fingerprints against misuse.
Most people know how to download an Aadhaar PDF. Far fewer know that they can share a masked version that hides the first eight digits, or that they can lock their biometrics so nobody can authenticate as them even with a copy of their fingerprint.
Both features are free, both take under five minutes, and together they close the two easiest routes to Aadhaar misuse. If you regularly hand your Aadhaar copy to hotels, landlords, coaching centres or delivery agents, this is the single highest-value thing on this site.
Before you start
- Your Aadhaar number or Enrolment ID.
- Access to the mobile number registered with Aadhaar.
- A PDF reader — the file is password protected.
Step by step
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Download the standard e-Aadhaar
On myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in, choose Download Aadhaar. Enter your Aadhaar number, complete the captcha, and verify the OTP. The PDF downloads immediately and is legally valid — you do not need a plastic card.
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Open it with the right password
The password is the first four letters of your name in capitals, followed by your year of birth. For Ravi Kumar born 1992, that is RAVI1992. This trips up almost everyone the first time.
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Download a masked Aadhaar instead, for sharing
On the same download screen there is an option for a masked Aadhaar. It shows only the last four digits and hides the rest. It is still a valid identity document for most purposes. Share this version, not the full one, whenever someone asks for a photocopy.
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Lock your biometrics
Log in to myAadhaar and open Lock/Unlock Biometrics. Once locked, no fingerprint or iris authentication will succeed against your Aadhaar — including by anyone holding a lifted print or a cloned copy. Locking does not affect OTP-based authentication or your existing benefits.
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Unlock temporarily when you need it
When a bank, SIM shop or property registrar needs your fingerprint, unlock from the portal, complete the work, and lock again. You can also generate a 16-digit Virtual ID (VID) to give instead of your Aadhaar number.
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Check who has been authenticating your Aadhaar
The Aadhaar Authentication History service shows every authentication against your number for the past six months, with date, time and the agency type. Scan it occasionally. An entry you do not recognise is worth a complaint to UIDAI on 1947.
Fees, timelines and key facts
| e-Aadhaar download | Free, unlimited |
|---|---|
| PDF password | First 4 letters of name in CAPITALS + birth year |
| Masked Aadhaar | Free; hides the first 8 digits |
| Biometric lock/unlock | Free; instant; reversible any time |
| Authentication history | Last 6 months, free |
| UIDAI helpline | 1947, in multiple languages |
If something goes wrong
The PDF will not open
You are using the wrong password format. It is four letters plus four digits, no spaces, name in capitals. If your name is shorter than four letters, use the full name plus the year.
You locked biometrics and now a bank cannot verify you
Log in to myAadhaar and unlock. It takes effect immediately.
Authentication history shows entries you do not recognise
File a complaint through the UIDAI grievance channel or call 1947 with the date and time. Lock your biometrics in the meantime.
Questions people ask
Is an e-Aadhaar PDF as valid as a plastic card?
Yes. A downloaded e-Aadhaar carries a digital signature from UIDAI and is accepted wherever Aadhaar is accepted. Plastic Aadhaar cards sold by private shops carry no additional legal standing.
Does locking biometrics stop my subsidy or ration?
No, if that service uses OTP or face authentication. If your ration shop uses fingerprint authentication, unlock before you go, or use the Virtual ID route.
Should I share my Aadhaar number with hotels and landlords?
Share the masked version. Under Aadhaar rules, most private entities cannot demand your full Aadhaar number as the only acceptable ID, and a masked copy meets the identity need without exposing the number.
What is a Virtual ID?
A temporary 16-digit number generated from the myAadhaar portal that can be used in place of your Aadhaar number for authentication. It expires and can be regenerated, so it limits what a leaked copy is worth.
Official pages for this task
These are the only sites that can actually do this for you. Everything else is a middleman.