Protect PDF
Encrypt and password protect PDF files directly in your browser. Set AES-256 passwords and restrict printing or copying with zero server uploads.
Your file stays in your browser.
Shortcuts: Ctrl+Enter run · Ctrl+Shift+C copy result · / search (use ⌘ on Mac)
Next steps
Done here? Use the Send to… menu on the result to carry it on to Unlock PDF or Sign PDF.
Free Online Protect PDF with Password
Put a password on a PDF so that only people who know it can open it. The lock is strong (AES-256) and is applied on your device: your file and your password are never sent anywhere. Put a password on a PDF so that only people who know it can open it. The lock is strong (AES-256) and is applied on your device, so your file and your password are never sent anywhere.
How to put a password on a PDF
Drop your PDF in the box, type the password you want twice and press Protect PDF. Save the new file and share it with the password, ideally through a different channel than the file itself.
Honest limits: if you forget the password the file cannot be recovered. The print, copy and edit switches are polite requests that PDF programs follow; only the open password is a real lock. Digital signatures in the original file are not kept.
Common mistakes
- Sending the password in the same email as the file.
- Losing the password and the only unprotected copy.
- Trusting the print/copy/edit switches for secrets: use the open password for that.