PDF Password Protection
Encrypt a PDF with an open password and set what readers may do.
In development FreeNo sign-in
Before you start. The password is applied in your browser and never sent anywhere — which also means nobody can recover it for you. Write it down before you close the tab.
PDF Password Protection is in development
This format needs processing that isn't available here yet, so rather than quietly sending your file somewhere we have left the tool switched off until it can run properly.
How to use pdf password protection
- Choose your PDF file. Drop the file onto the upload area or pick it from your device. The file is sent over HTTPS, processed, and deleted as soon as the result is written.
- Set the options. Adjust the settings shown for pdf password protection. The defaults suit most files, so you can usually leave them alone.
- Check and save the result. Run the tool and download the modified PDF file. Compare it against your original before you rely on it — conversions do not always carry every detail across.
Privacy
When this tool ships it will process your file, return the result, and keep nothing.
Questions
What happens to my file?
This tool is not built yet, so it does nothing with your file at all. When it ships it will follow the same rule as the rest of the site: process the file, return the result, keep nothing.
When will PDF Password Protection be available?
There is no date. This format needs processing that is not available here yet, and rather than quietly producing a poor result the tool is switched off until it can be done properly. The rest of the toolkit is working and listed on the home page.
Is this secure enough for confidential material?
The file is encrypted in transit, processed in a temporary folder and deleted immediately. For genuinely sensitive material, prefer a tool marked as running in your browser, where the file never leaves your device at all.
Is there a file size limit?
Uploads are capped at 32 MB. If your file is larger, split it first, or use one of the browser-side tools, which are bounded only by your device memory.
Working with PDF
About PDF
A fixed-layout page format. A PDF records where each glyph sits on the page, along with fonts, vector shapes and embedded images, so it looks identical everywhere it is opened.
It does not store paragraphs, headings or tables as structure. Anything that reads meaning back out of a PDF is reconstructing it from position and spacing, which is why converting away from PDF is the harder direction.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing happens after choosing a file. Check the file really is PDF — a renamed extension fails here the same way it fails in other readers.
- The upload is refused. Files over 32 MB are rejected. Split the document first, or use one of the browser-side tools, which are limited only by your device memory.
- The result looks different from the original. Some conversions cannot carry every feature across formats. The page says what was dropped when that happens.