Password protect a PDF
Add a password to a PDF and encrypt it, for free. There is no usage limit. Your PDF and passwords are processed in your browser and never uploaded. The encryption is AES-256. You can also restrict printing, copying and changes, or change or remove the password of a PDF whose password you know. You can open PDFs of up to 200 MB per file (100 MB on phones and tablets).
You can open one PDF at a time (up to 200 MB on this device). The PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded.
How to use
- 1
Open a PDF
Choose or drop the PDF to protect. PDFs are never uploaded.
- 2
Enter a password
Enter the open password twice. To restrict printing, copying or changes, also choose what to allow and enter a permissions password.
- 3
Save with the password
Press "Save with password" to create the PDF. Use the button that appears to save it.
About PDF passwords
A PDF can have two kinds of password. The open password is requested when the PDF is opened, and without it the content cannot be read. The permissions password is used to change the restrictions on printing, copying and changes. You can set restrictions alone, but then anyone can open the PDF, and whether the restrictions are followed depends on the software that displays it. If you do not want the content to be read, set an open password.
Encryption makes the text, images, annotations, bookmarks, attachments and document information unreadable as a whole. Bookmarks, form fields and tags stay as they are, but saving invalidates any electronic signature. Old software without AES-256 support (such as versions before Acrobat X) may not open the file. Passwords can use half-width letters, numbers and symbols. Short passwords are easier to break by repeated attempts, so we recommend 12 or more characters mixing upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
Specifications of this tool
- Input
- Output
- Limits
- One file at a time. Up to 200 MB per file (100 MB on phones and tablets)
- Free, no sign-up, no app to install
- Files are never uploaded (processed in your browser)
Frequently asked questions
Are my PDF and passwords sent to a server?
No. Opening, encrypting and saving the PDF all happen in the browser on your device. Statistics that help us fix bugs (the page count range, whether you set or removed a password, the kinds of password, the number of operations restricted, error types and so on) are sent to this site's server. They do not include the content of the PDF, file names or passwords. You can turn the statistics off with the "Send processing statistics" switch at the bottom of the page.
Can I open a PDF if I forgot its password?
No. This tool does not guess passwords. This site never receives the passwords you enter, so we cannot look them up if you contact us. When you set a password, keep a note of it or keep the PDF from before you set it.
Can I change or remove a password I set?
Yes. When you open a PDF whose password you know, you can choose "Change the password" or "Remove the password". If printing, copying or changes are restricted, you cannot change or remove anything until you enter the permissions password. If you do not know the permissions password, ask the person who created the PDF.
Is it safe to email the password with the PDF?
We do not recommend it. If both travel the same way, anyone who can read the email can also open the PDF. Share the password another way, such as by phone or a messaging app. Some recipients do not accept password-protected PDFs, so check their instructions as well.
Help us improve the service
If a conversion fails, sending us the circumstances helps us track down the cause. Knowing which devices and formats fail most often, and how long processing takes, lets us revise the supported formats and fix the bugs behind them. If you don't mind, leaving this on is a real help.
What is sent
- The tool you used and the settings you chose (output format, quality, etc.)
- Your device specs (GPU, memory, core count)
- The input format with a rough size
- How many files succeeded or failed and how long it took
- The error type and details when something fails
What is never sent
- The files themselves and file names
- The text in PDFs, the text you rewrote or redacted, passwords, font names and the page ranges you enter
- IP addresses
The data goes only to this site's own server, never to a third-party service.
For the full list, including the details each tool sends, see “Processing statistics” in the privacy policy.
Details sent by this tool (counts, times, kinds and yes/no only)
In addition to “What is sent”, this tool sends the following details.
- PDF tools (all)
- The page count range, whether editing is restricted, whether a permissions password was entered, and whether the PDF is signed or encrypted.
- PDF password protection
- Whether a password was set or removed, whether an open password and a permissions password were set, and the range of the number of operations restricted. The passwords themselves are never sent.