Password-protect a PDF
Add a password so only the right people can open your PDF.
Drop your file here
Processed securely and deleted within the hour.
What the password actually does
Setting a password encrypts the document with AES-256. That is real encryption, not a flag asking readers politely to behave: without the password the file's contents cannot be recovered, by us or by anyone else.
Which is the important warning. If you lose this password, the document is gone. There is no recovery, no reset link and no back door, because a back door would defeat the entire purpose. Put it in a password manager before you close the tab.
Permissions
Alongside the password you can allow or forbid printing and text copying. These are honoured by well-behaved PDF readers and are best understood as strong hints rather than guarantees — a determined reader with the password can work around them, because they must be able to display the content in order to show it to you at all.
Encryption is the part that genuinely protects the file. Permissions are the part that stops casual copying.
When this is the right tool
Sending financial statements, contracts, medical records or identity documents by email, where the message may sit unencrypted on several servers along the way. A password turns an attachment anyone could read into one only the intended recipient can.
Send the password separately — a text message, a phone call, anything that is not the same email thread. A password in the covering email protects nothing.
Choosing one
Length matters far more than punctuation. Three or four unrelated words are both stronger and easier to convey over the phone than a short string of symbols.
Removing it later
Unlock PDF removes the password when you have it, which is useful before merging or editing.
Common questions
What encryption is used?
AES-256, the current standard. Without the password the contents cannot be recovered.
What if I forget the password?
The document is unrecoverable. There is no reset — that is what makes the encryption meaningful. Store it somewhere safe first.
Can I stop people printing it?
You can forbid printing and copying, and compliant readers honour that. Encryption is the part that genuinely protects the file.
Is my password stored?
No. It is used to encrypt the file and then discarded. It is never logged.
Can I set a different password for opening and editing?
Currently one password covers both. Permissions are set separately.
Does it change the document?
Only its encryption. Pages, text and images are untouched.