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Password-protect a PDF

Lock a document with a password before it goes anywhere — real AES-256 encryption, made in your browser — or strip the password off a PDF you own.

Open Protect PDF See all tools

Runs in your browser · Your file is never uploaded · No account needed

How to password-protect a PDF

  1. Open the PDF and choose the Protect tool.
  2. Type the password twice — 4 to 40 characters.
  3. Decide whether printing and copying text stay allowed.
  4. Save — the protected copy downloads immediately.

What you get

  • AES-256 encryption, the same strength the Windows and Android apps use.
  • Optional restrictions: block printing, block copying text.
  • Remove mode: pick a locked PDF, enter its password, save an unlocked copy.
  • The password never leaves your device — encryption happens in the browser.
  • Locked PDFs also just open here: you are asked for the password and every tool works on the unlocked copy.

When you would use it

Lock a document before emailing it

Payslips, contracts and medical records get a password that travels with the file.

Send a file that only one person can open

Share the password in another channel and the attachment is useless to anyone else.

Unlock your own archive

Strip the password off old statements you already have the password for, so they stop asking for it.

Why it stays on your device

Most online PDF sites upload your document to a server, process it there and email you a link. This one does not. The PDF is opened, changed and saved by your own browser, so a contract, a bank statement or an ID scan never travels over the network — and the tool keeps working on a slow connection.

Questions

Is the password sent to a server?

No. The encryption runs inside your browser, so neither the file nor the password ever leaves your device.

How strong is the protection?

AES-256 — the strongest encryption the PDF standard defines, and the same setting the desktop app uses.

I forgot a PDF's password — can this remove it?

No. Removing protection requires the current password. Without it the encryption does exactly what it was designed to do.

Can I open a locked PDF here to edit it?

Yes. Opening a locked PDF asks for its password and unlocks it for the session, so Split, Edit and every other tool work on it.

How do I password-protect a PDF for free without uploading it?

Open the PDF here, type the password twice and save. The AES-256 encryption is computed by your own browser.

What's the difference between the open password and permissions?

The open password is required to read the file at all. The printing and copying switches set permissions inside the encrypted file for readers that honour them.

Related tools

Repair PDF Health-check and rebuild broken PDFs. Redact / Censor Black out text and genuinely remove it. Watermark Stamp a watermark on, or clear one off.

All tools: Split PDF Merge PDF Compress PDF Edit PDF Crop PDF Watermark Organize pages Create PDF Page numbers Redact / Censor Get text PDF viewer PDF to Office Translate PDF Repair PDF Sign PDF Word to PDF

Get Protect PDF on your device

The same tool, three ways — and offline on Windows and Android, so a document never needs a connection at all.

Download for Windows Free installer · Windows 10 & 11 Get it on Google Play Android phone & tablet Use it in your browser Nothing to install · any device

Prefer a page first? About the Windows app · About the Android app