Protect PDF

Add a password to a PDF, or restrict what people can do with it.

100% Free No installation required Secure & private

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Two kinds of PDF password

One stops the document being opened at all. The other lets people read it but limits what they can do.

Open password

Anyone who wants to open the PDF has to type this password first. Without it the file will not display at all, which is the protection to use when the contents are confidential.

Permission restrictions

Keep the document readable but limit what can be done with it, controlled by a separate permissions password so the two roles stay apart.

Encryption on the file itself

The protection travels with the PDF. It still applies after the file is emailed, copied to a drive or uploaded elsewhere, because it is part of the document rather than a setting on a folder.

Password protect a PDF before you send it

An open password is the right choice when the document should not be readable by whoever happens to receive it - a contract, a payslip, medical paperwork, anything with personal data in it. The PDF will not open until the password is entered, in any reader, on any platform.

Send the password through a different channel from the file itself. A password in the same email as the attachment protects against very little.

Only with the password you set

Restrict printing, copying and editing

Sometimes the document is meant to be read widely but not reused. Permission restrictions cover that case: the PDF opens normally, and the actions you have restricted are refused by the reader.

Because permissions are governed by their own password, you can hand out a document that anybody can read while keeping the ability to change those restrictions yourself.

Only with the password you set

Protect PDFs in the browser, on any device

There is nothing to install, and no desktop PDF suite required. Protection is applied from a browser tab, so the same page works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

Files up to 50 MB can be protected without an account, uploaded from your device, from a link or from cloud storage.

Security you can check

A page about protecting a document has to be clear about how the document itself is protected here.

TLS with modern ciphers

The upload, the processing and the download all run over an encrypted connection, and personal data is stored encrypted.

No human access at any point

Nobody reads your file, looks into it, or makes a copy. The whole pipeline is automated and no backup of a user file is kept.

GDPR, and your rights intact

Processing follows the GDPR. You keep the copyright, and nothing is fed into AI training.

How do I add a password to a PDF?

Upload your PDF file.
Enter and confirm an open password.
Choose what users of your PDF are allowed to do.
Enter and confirm a permission password.
Click on "Start".

Frequently asked questions about protecting PDFs

Is it free to password protect a PDF?

Yes. Protect PDF is free and needs no account. Files up to 50 MB can be protected without registering, and a free account or a paid plan raises that limit.

What is the difference between the two passwords?

The open password decides who can open the document at all. The permissions password decides who can change what the document allows - it does not stop the file being read.

Can I protect a PDF without changing its content?

Yes. Protection is applied to the existing document, so the pages, text and layout are exactly as they were. What changes is what a reader is allowed to do with them.

What happens if I forget the password?

Nothing here can recover it - that is the point of encrypting the file. Keep the password somewhere separate before you send the document, because a protected PDF without its password is not readable by anyone.

Is it safe to protect a PDF online?

Yes. Every transfer runs over TLS with modern ciphers and personal data is stored encrypted. Nobody reads your file or makes a copy of it, no backup of a user file is kept, and your copyright is untouched. Processing follows the GDPR.