Protect PDF with Password
Add a password to a PDF with AES-256 and limit printing, copying or editing
Your files are processed in your browser. They are never uploaded, and nothing is stored after you close the page. How we handle privacy
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type or upload is sent to us or stored.
Keep a copy of your original file. Check the result before you use it. Terms of use
How to Use
- Choose or drop your PDF. If it already has a password, the tool asks you to remove it first with Unlock PDF.
- Type an open password, or press Suggest a strong password to get a random one, then Copy password and keep it somewhere safe. The label beside the box gives a rough strength rating, and the eye button shows what you typed.
- If you want limits, add an owner password (different from the open password) and switch off Allow printing, Allow copying text and images or Allow editing (pages, forms, comments).
- Press Protect and download (or Enter in a password box). The first time, the PDF engine loads (about 1.3 MB). Open the
-protected.pdfcopy once to check the password before you send it.
Put a password on a PDF before you share it
Salary slips, Form 16, bank statements, Aadhaar and PAN copies, medical reports and rent agreements often travel by email or WhatsApp. If the message goes to the wrong person, or sits in a shared inbox, anyone can read the attachment. This tool lets you password protect a PDF: it adds a password, so the file shows nothing until the password is typed. It runs in your browser, so the document and the password never leave your device.
How the protection works
The tool uses qpdf, an open-source PDF program, to encrypt the whole file with AES-256, the strongest encryption the PDF standard offers. Every page's text and images are scrambled, and the key is derived from your password. Without the password the file is unreadable.
AES-256 PDFs open in Adobe Acrobat and Reader X (version 10) or later, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, macOS Preview and the usual phone PDF apps. Very old readers can't open them.
Open password and owner password
| Password | What it does | Who should have it |
|---|---|---|
| Open password | Needed to see the file at all | Everyone who should read it |
| Owner password (optional) | Lifts any limits on printing, copying and editing | Only you |
The limits only mean something when the owner password is different from the open password. If they were the same, everyone who could open the file would also have full rights, so the tool asks for a separate owner password when you switch any permission off.
Example
Say you're sending your Form 16 and three months of payslips to a home loan agent. You set the open password to something you'll share by phone call, not in the same email. You leave printing on, because the bank may need a printout, but switch off copying and editing, and keep an owner password to yourself. The agent can read and print the file; they can't copy text out of it or change it in a normal PDF app.
Choosing a good password
- Length matters more than symbols. Three or four unrelated words (for example "teacup monsoon 47 bridge") are strong and easy to type.
- Avoid your date of birth, mobile number or PAN alone. They are the first things someone would try.
- Send the password separately: by phone, SMS or a different app, never in the same email as the file.
- There is no "forgot password" for a PDF. Note it down somewhere safe.
What the restrictions can and can't do
The open password is real protection: without it, the content can't be decrypted. The print, copy and edit limits are different. They are flags in the file that PDF apps are expected to follow, and Adobe Reader, browsers and most phone apps do. Some programs ignore them, and anyone who can see the page can still photograph the screen. Use the limits to discourage casual copying, not to protect secrets.
Your original file isn't changed. The protected copy is saved with -protected.pdf at the end of the name. To remove the password later, use the Unlock PDF tool.