Protect PDF
Encrypt a PDF with a password and permissions.
About Protect PDF
Password protect a PDF with an open password, an optional owner password, and permissions that decide what the reader can do — print, copy text, add comments or modify the file. Encryption is applied inside your browser, so neither the document nor the password you type is ever transmitted.
Sending something sensitive by email and keeping it readable only to the person you meant.
How to use Protect PDF in 3 steps
- Drop the PDF you want to lock.
- Set the open password, an optional owner password, and the permissions to allow.
- Encrypt and download the protected PDF.
What you get with Protect PDF
- Separate open and owner passwords, so you can restrict editing as well as reading
- Permissions for printing, modification, text copying and form comments
- The password is used locally and never leaves your device
- Free to use, with no signup and no account
- No watermark or logo added to your output
- Works on desktop and mobile, no install
Protect PDF: questions
- Which encryption does it apply?
- Standard PDF encryption with your password, written into the file itself, so any compliant reader enforces it — not a lock that only this site can open.
- What is the difference between the open and owner password?
- The open password is what a reader types to open the document. The owner password governs permissions: it lets you change or remove the restrictions while keeping the file readable to others.
- If I forget the password, can you recover it?
- No, and that is the point — nothing about your file is stored anywhere. Keep the password with the document, not inside it.
- Can I protect a PDF that is already locked?
- Unlock it first with Unlock PDF using the current password, set the new one, and protect it again.