Protect PDF with Password
Add an open password to a PDF with AES-256 encryption, applied entirely in your browser. The document and the password never leave your device.
Drop your PDF file here
or click to browse files
Add an open password to a PDF so that nobody can read it without the password. The file is encrypted with AES-256 - the same standard security handler that Acrobat, Preview and pdf.js expect - and the encryption is performed by your own browser, not by a server.
Typical uses: sending a contract, a payslip or an ID scan by email, storing confidential documents in cloud storage, or handing a draft to somebody who should not forward it further. Because the password is applied locally, neither the document nor the password is ever transmitted - which is exactly the point for material you would rather not upload to a conversion service. Keep in mind that a PDF password protects the file, it does not hide it from someone who already knows the password, and a forgotten password cannot be recovered by anyone, including us.
How to password protect a PDF
Add the PDF you want to protect
Enter the password twice
Download the encrypted PDF
FAQ
Which encryption is used?
AES-256 with the ISO 32000 standard security handler (/V5 /R6, the AESV3 crypt filter). That is the format current versions of Acrobat, Preview, Chrome, Firefox and pdf.js all open with a password prompt.
Is my password or my document uploaded?
No. Encryption happens in your browser with the Web Crypto API, using a 256-bit key generated on your device. Neither the file nor the password is sent anywhere, logged, or stored after you close the page.
Can I recover a forgotten password?
No, and nobody else can either - that is what makes the encryption meaningful. Store the password in a password manager before you close this page, because the encrypted file cannot be opened without it.
Can I still set who may print or copy the document?
This tool sets one open password that is required to read the file. Permission flags (allow printing, forbid copying) are a separate, weaker mechanism - many readers ignore them, so do not rely on them for confidentiality.
Will the recipient need special software?
No. Any current PDF reader asks for the password and then opens the document normally. Only very old viewers that predate AES-256 need an update.
Does it change the content of my PDF?
The document is re-saved as an encrypted copy: pages, text, images and bookmarks are preserved, and the original file on your disk is left untouched. Digital signatures, if the document had any, are invalidated by re-saving.
At a glance
| Input | |
|---|---|
| Multiple files | No |
| Where it runs | In your browser - files are never uploaded |
| Works offline | Yes — once the page has loaded |
| Price | Free, no sign-up, no watermark |
PDF versions, standards and compatibility
PDF 1.4 is readable by essentially everything and is the safe default for forms and general sharing. PDF 1.7 added better compression and is what most modern software writes. PDF/A is an archival variant that embeds every font and forbids outside dependencies so the file will still render identically in twenty years - archive offices and some government submissions require it, and it is a poor choice for everyday files because it is larger. Encrypted PDFs need the protection removed before any other tool can touch them, and a permissions (owner) password is weaker than an open password: it is meant to discourage printing and copying, not to keep anyone out.
Keeping text selectable and searchable
A PDF can hold real text or a picture of text, and the difference matters: real text can be selected, searched, copied and read aloud, while a scanned page cannot until someone runs OCR on it. Many "reduce size" tools silently flatten everything into images, which shrinks the file but destroys searchability and makes the text blurry when zoomed. If a document needs to stay usable - contracts, manuals, anything you may need to search later - keep text as text and compress only the images. If you are starting from a scan, run OCR first, then compress.