How to password-protect a PDF

Updated 28 October 20263 min read

Quick answer

Open Protect PDF, add the file, type a password twice and download the locked copy. To remove a password you know, use Unlock PDF. The file never leaves your device.

Protect PDFFree, no sign-up, and your files never leave your device.

Open the tool

Step by step

Open Protect PDF and add the PDF you want to lock.
Type a password of at least 6 characters, then type it again. Tick Show passwords to check for typos.
If you also want to stop printing, copying or editing, tick those boxes and set a separate owner password.
Select Protect PDF and download the copy. Open it once to check the password works before you send it.

Removing a password

Unlock PDF removes a password only when you type it. It never guesses, cracks or bypasses passwords, so it can only be used on files you are allowed to open.

If the author also limited printing or copying, those limits stay unless you have the owner password.

Tips

Send the password a different way from the file, for example by text message when the PDF goes by email.
A long phrase of three or four unrelated words is stronger and easier to remember than a short jumble.
Printing and copying limits depend on the reader respecting them. Only the open password keeps the content private.

If something goes wrong

I forgot the password.

It can’t be recovered: the file is encrypted with the password itself. Ask whoever sent the file, or use your original copy without a password.

It says the password is not correct.

Passwords are case-sensitive. Check Caps Lock and tick Show password to see what you typed.