Put a password on a PDF

How to protect a PDF

Choose the PDF above, type a password, type it again and press Protect. The file is encrypted on your own device with AES-256 — the same standard banks use for their statements — and you download a file named like offer-letter-protected.pdf. Anyone who opens it, in any PDF reader on any phone or computer, is asked for the password first.

Nothing leaves your device

The password you type is used only inside your browser to encrypt the file. It is never sent to us or to anyone else, and we keep no copy of it or of the file. That also means we cannot recover it: if you lose the password, the file cannot be opened — not by you, not by us, not by anyone. Keep it somewhere safe.

Choosing a password

Length matters more than symbols. Eight characters is the least worth using; twelve or more is strong. The line under the field tells you where you stand as you type. Avoid a password the reader could guess from the file itself, such as a name or date printed on the first page — unless you are deliberately using a shared rule, the way banks use a date of birth.

One password or two?

By default one password both opens the file and allows everything. Under "Owner password" you can set a second one: the first password opens the file, while printing and copying stay restricted until the owner password is entered. Those restrictions are respected by well-behaved readers rather than enforced by maths — the password needed to open the file is the real protection.

When this is useful

• Sending a salary slip, offer letter or ID proof over WhatsApp or e-mail.
• Sharing a medical report or a legal document with one person only.
• Protecting a scanned agreement before it goes into a shared folder.
• Replacing a weak password another tool gave you with one of your choice.

Already locked?

If the PDF already has a password, enter the current one first; the new password replaces it in one step. To remove a password instead of adding one, use Unlock PDF.

Before you share

A protected PDF is still a PDF — but other tools cannot work on it without the password. So shrink it for an upload limit with Compress PDF first, or combine several files with Merge PDF, and protect the finished file last.