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Fixing #745 - Limitations of privacy filter not disclosed in documentation - Amended main explanation in Tips And Tricks - Linked to the caveats from the Tour dealing with the UI. #125

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Fixing #745 - Limitations of privacy filter not disclosed in documentation - Amended main explanation in Tips And Tricks - Linked to the caveats from the Tour dealing with the UI. #125

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Fixing #745 - Limitations of privacy filter not disclosed in document…
RubenOlsen Aug 10, 2025
335a7f2
Fixing snags after netlify preview.
RubenOlsen Aug 10, 2025
0630926
Fixing snags after netlify preview.
RubenOlsen Aug 10, 2025
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28 changes: 14 additions & 14 deletions docs/getting-started/tips-tricks.md
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Expand Up @@ -75,31 +75,31 @@ This only controls the _maximum_ number of months. If the app is too small to re

## Scramble and Hide Data

Actual Budget has a built-in privacy filter which help you
hide your data from prying eyes.
Actual Budget includes a privacy filter to help you obfuscate sensitive *amounts* on screen.

To do this: click on the eye icon in the top right corner of the app.
:::important
Be advised that when you hover over scrambled items, the amounts will be shown. This is a feature to help you see the actual amounts when you need them, but it may not be suitable for sharing screenshots or screen recordings.
:::

![Top right corner](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-top-right.png)
**Turn it on**: Click the _eye icon_ in the top-right corner of the app.

This will scramble all of your data, including payees, categories, and
transactions.
![Top right corner](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-top-right.png)

This is useful if you want to create a screenshot of your data without
showing your actual data. This is useful when you need to show your
budget to someone else, like other Actual users in our Discord.
When enabled, only currency amounts are scrambled so you can take screenshots or share your screen without exposing real numbers.

![Top right corner](/img/tips-tricks/scrambled-clear-view.png)
![Top right corner](/img/tips-tricks/scrambled-scrambled-view.png)

What changes when the filter is on
- Hidden/Scrambled: account balances, budgeted/available amounts, transaction amounts, totals in reports and widgets.
- Remain Visible: account names, category group and category names, payee names, transaction dates, notes/memos, flags, cleared status, and the presence of individual transactions (only the amounts are scrambled).

:::note
This only hide data - no data is lost or encrypted.
The privacy filter is visual only: it does not encrypt, delete, or alter your saved data or exports.
:::

To unhide the data, click on the eye icon again. This will show the data in
its original form.

![Top right corner](/img/tips-tricks/scrambled-scrambled-view.png)
**Turn it off**: Click the _eye icon_ again to restore normal viewing. This will show the data in its original form.



## Show The Running Balance
Expand Down
8 changes: 4 additions & 4 deletions docs/tour/user-interface.md
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Expand Up @@ -8,15 +8,15 @@ Standard on most screens:
* The server and sync status (if used) are shown in the red box in the upper right corner.
* The content of the rest of the interface depends on the functionality you have chosen in the sidebar. This screenshot shows an example of a Budget view.

![](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-of-user-interface.png)
![Full user interface with top right conner highlighted](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-of-user-interface.png)

## Top Right Corner

* The eye icon will scramble the numbers on the screen. This is useful if you need to report a bug to the Actual team but want to keep your numbers private.
* The eye icon will scramble the numbers on the screen. This is useful if you need to report a bug to the Actual team but want to keep your numbers private. There are some caveats to this, so please read the [Scramble and Hide Data](/docs/getting-started/tips-tricks#scramble-and-hide-data) section in the Tips & Tricks guide.
* If clicking on the sync icon, your local file will sync to the server.
* The current text, _Server online_ shows the connection status. Thus, it could easily read _Server offline_ if you are not connected to a server. If you click on this text, you can change your password, sign out of the server or change the server URL.

![](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-top-right.png)
![Top right corner](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-top-right.png)

## The Sidebar

Expand All @@ -29,4 +29,4 @@ From the sidebar, you have easy access to all Actual's functionality.

Most of these will we cover later in the tour.

![](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-sidebar.png)
![The Actual Budget Sidebar](/img/a-tour-of-actual/tour-overview-sidebar.png)