Does Karchu store my PDF password?

No. The password is held in the memory of the browser tab you are working in, is never written to storage, never sent to a server and never logged. Closing or reloading the tab clears it.

What if I upload several locked files at once?

You are asked once per locked file, in turn, with the file name shown. Files can also be skipped, and the rest of the batch still processes.

Why do banks password protect statements?

Because statements are emailed, and email is not a private channel. A password based on details only the account holder should know keeps the attachment useless to anyone who intercepts it.

I do not know the password. What now?

Check the email the statement arrived in, which almost always describes the format, for example the first four letters of your name in capitals followed by your date of birth. If that fails, ask the bank, or download an unprotected copy from online banking.

What about a locked statement that is also a scan?

A locked scanned PDF needs server side reading, which cannot use the in browser password. Karchu explains this and asks for an unlocked copy of that file.

Can Karchu open a password protected spreadsheet?

No. Protected XLS or XLSX workbooks cannot be decrypted in the browser, so an unprotected copy is needed. Karchu says this plainly instead of failing with an unhelpful error.

Password protected statements

Most banks that email statements protect the PDF with a password, and most tools ask you to strip the password yourself before uploading. Karchu does not. Upload the file as your bank sent it and you will be asked for the password at the point it is needed.

How it works

Upload the locked file. Upload the protected PDF exactly as your bank sent it. There is no need to remove the password first.
Enter the password when asked. Karchu detects that the file is locked and asks for the password, showing the file name so you know which document it means.
Retry if it is rejected. If the password is wrong you can try again. Bank passwords are often a combination of name, date of birth, account number or PAN, in a format described in the covering email.
Let the file process. Once unlocked, the file goes through the normal pipeline: text extraction, table detection, OCR only where a page has no readable text, then categorization.
Reuse within the session. The password stays in memory for that browser tab, so a re analysis of the same file during the session does not ask again. Closing or reloading the tab clears it.

What happens to the password

It stays in the memory of the browser tab. It is not written to local storage, not saved to your profile, not transmitted to a server and not written to any log or diagnostic report. Closing the tab or reloading the page clears it. That is why re analysing the same document a week later asks again: there is nothing kept to reuse.

The file itself is stored as you uploaded it, still protected. Karchu does not save an unlocked copy.

Common bank password formats

Banks rarely invent a password for you. They derive it from details you already have, and describe the recipe in the covering email. Frequent patterns include the first few letters of your name in capitals followed by your date of birth, your customer or account number, a tax identifier such as a PAN, or a combination of your date of birth and the last digits of a registered mobile number. Check the email before guessing, because several banks lock the file after repeated failures.

Several locked files at once

Each locked file is asked about separately, in turn, with the name shown so there is no ambiguity about which document needs which password. Twelve monthly statements with twelve different passwords are handled one after another, and any file can be skipped without abandoning the batch.

The two cases that need an unlocked copy

A locked PDF that is also a scan. Pages with no text layer need reading with OCR on the server, which does not receive the password, so an unlocked copy of that file is required.
Protected spreadsheets. Encrypted XLS and XLSX workbooks cannot be opened in the browser at all. Save an unprotected copy from Excel or your spreadsheet tool and upload that.

Frequently asked questions

Does Karchu store my PDF password?: No. The password is held in the memory of the browser tab you are working in, is never written to storage, never sent to a server and never logged. Closing or reloading the tab clears it.
What if I upload several locked files at once?: You are asked once per locked file, in turn, with the file name shown. Files can also be skipped, and the rest of the batch still processes.
Why do banks password protect statements?: Because statements are emailed, and email is not a private channel. A password based on details only the account holder should know keeps the attachment useless to anyone who intercepts it.
I do not know the password. What now?: Check the email the statement arrived in, which almost always describes the format, for example the first four letters of your name in capitals followed by your date of birth. If that fails, ask the bank, or download an unprotected copy from online banking.
What about a locked statement that is also a scan?: A locked scanned PDF needs server side reading, which cannot use the in browser password. Karchu explains this and asks for an unlocked copy of that file.
Can Karchu open a password protected spreadsheet?: No. Protected XLS or XLSX workbooks cannot be decrypted in the browser, so an unprotected copy is needed. Karchu says this plainly instead of failing with an unhelpful error.