What is it?
Password Protect PDF locks a PDF so it can only be opened with a password, using AES-256, the strongest encryption PDFs support. You can also choose whether people who open it may print, copy or edit it.
Who is it for?
Anyone emailing ID proofs, bank details, salary slips, contracts or medical reports; HR teams sending payslips; and businesses sharing confidential price lists.
How to use it
- Choose a PDF.
- Type a Password (At least 4 characters; longer is safer) and Type it again.
- Choose what People who open it may… do: print, copy or edit.
- Tap Protect PDF. You’ll see Locked! Anyone opening this PDF now needs the password.
Choosing a strong password
Short passwords like 1234 can be guessed by special software in seconds. Use 8+ characters with letters and numbers, or a phrase like blue-mango-42. The Password Generator can make one.
Sharing the password
Send the PDF by email and the password by a different way, such as a phone call or SMS, so one leaked message doesn’t expose both.
About permissions
Print and copy limits are respected by most PDF apps, but some programs ignore them. The open password is the real protection.
The PDF is opened and changed inside your browser; it is never uploaded. Close the page and it is gone.
Errors and how to fix them
- “Use a password of at least 4 characters (longer is safer)”
- “The two passwords are different. Type them again”
- “This PDF could not be locked. If it already has a password, remove it first”: unlock it with Remove PDF Password, then protect it with the new password.
- Forgot the password: it can’t be recovered by anyone. Keep the original unlocked file somewhere safe.
Open the tool: Password Protect PDF
Still stuck?
Contact support. Tell us which tool or page you were using, what you tapped, what you saw, and your phone or computer and browser (for example: Android phone, Chrome). We reply by email.
Questions, or an error not listed here?
Tell us in the comments: what you were doing, the exact message you saw, and your device and browser. We read every comment and add new fixes to this article.