Password Protect PDF
Add a password to a PDF, encrypted with AES-256, and limit printing, copying and editing if you like. The file and password never leave your device.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded.
How to use
This tool adds a password to a PDF, so only people who know it can open it. It works in your browser, so the file and the password never leave your device.
- Add a PDF: drop it on the box or choose it. If it already needs a password to open, type that first.
- Type the new password to open it, then type it again. Suggest a strong password makes a random one for you; copy it somewhere safe. Show passwords lets you check what you typed.
- If you like, turn on Also limit printing, copying and changes. Choose whether people can print it, and at what quality, copy text from it, add comments and fill in forms, or edit it. The limits need a second, different password, which lifts them.
- Press Protect PDF, then download the protected copy. It's named after the original, such as contract-protected.pdf. Your original isn't changed.
The PDF is encrypted with AES-256, the strongest method PDFs have. Current PDF apps, including Adobe Reader and web browsers, open it with the password. Limits are different: most apps respect them, but some ignore them, so only the password to open really keeps people out.
There's no way back from a forgotten password. It isn't stored anywhere, so neither this site nor anyone else can recover it. Keep it in a password manager or somewhere else that's safe.
Frequently asked questions
Are my PDF and password uploaded?
No. The PDF is encrypted in your browser, and neither the file nor the password leaves your device. Nothing is saved either: close the page and both are gone from here.
What if I forget the password?
Then the protected PDF can't be opened. The password isn't stored anywhere, and the encryption can't be undone without it, by this site or anyone else. Your original, unprotected PDF is unchanged, so keep it somewhere safe too.
How strong is the protection?
The PDF is encrypted with AES-256, the strongest encryption PDFs support. How safe it is comes down to the password: a long one, or a few random words, would take far too long to guess. Limits on printing and copying are weaker, as some apps ignore them.
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