Protect PDF
Add a password to a PDF so only people who have it can open the file.
Need help? Read our guide on How to Add a Password to secure your PDF document.
Password-Protect a PDF Online
This tool encrypts a copy of your PDF with the password you choose, so anyone trying to open it — in any PDF reader, on any device — has to enter that password first. Your original uploaded file is never modified; a new, protected copy is generated for you to download.
The password you set is required to open the file at all — it's an "open password," not a way to restrict specific actions like printing or copying within an already-open document. Whoever has the password can view, copy, and print freely once they're in.
How it works
- 1 Upload your PDF file
- 2 Enter a password
- 3 Download the protected PDF
When to use this
- Emailing a document with personal or financial information that shouldn't be readable if it's forwarded or intercepted
- Sharing a file on a drive or link where you don't fully control who has access
- Adding a basic barrier to a document before storing it somewhere less secure
Important considerations
- Choose a password you can actually remember or store safely. If it's lost, there's no way to recover the file's contents — the protection works both ways. Use Unlock PDF only if you already know the password and want to remove it later.
- Share the password through a different channel than the one you send the file through — emailing both together defeats the purpose.
- Order matters if you're also editing the document. Apply other edits (watermarks, signatures, redaction) first, then protect the file last — most tools, including this one, can't open an already-encrypted PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I forget the password after protecting my PDF?
There's no way to recover the file's contents without the password — that's the point of encryption. Keep it somewhere safe, like a password manager, before you close this tab.
Does this stop someone from printing or copying the content?
No. The password controls whether the file opens at all; once someone has entered it, they can read, copy, and print normally.
Can I protect a PDF that's already password-protected?
You'll need to remove the existing password first with Unlock PDF (which requires knowing that password), then apply a new one here.
Is my original file changed?
No. Your upload is used to generate a separate, protected copy for download; the original isn't modified. Both the upload and the generated file are deleted from our server automatically after processing.