Secure
Password Protect PDF
Encrypt your PDF with a password and permissions.
Processed locally — your files never leave your device
How to use Protect PDF
- 1
Open the PDF you want to protect.
- 2
Choose a strong password (and optionally a separate owner password).
- 3
Set the permissions: printing, copying, editing, commenting.
- 4
Click Encrypt and download the protected file.
About this tool
Email attachments get forwarded, cloud links get reshared, laptops get lost. Password protection means the PDF itself carries its own lock: without the password, the contents are unreadable ciphertext, no matter where the file ends up. This tool applies AES-256 encryption — the standard governments and banks use — entirely on your device, so even we never see the password or the document.
PDF security has two distinct passwords, and the distinction is useful. The user password is needed to open the document at all. The owner password grants full control and enforces the permission flags — so you can share a file that anyone (with the user password) can read, but only owner-password holders can print, copy text from, or modify. Setting just a user password is fine for simple confidentiality.
The permission toggles map to the PDF standard's flags: printing, copying text and graphics, modifying content, and commenting/form-filling. A word of honesty most tools skip: permissions are enforced by PDF viewers, and a rogue viewer can ignore them. The encryption itself — actually opening the file — is mathematically solid; the permission flags are strong suggestions.
Frequently asked questions
How strong is the encryption?
AES-256, the current standard for sensitive data. With a strong password (12+ characters, not a dictionary word), brute-forcing it is computationally infeasible. With a weak password like "1234", the best encryption in the world won't help — choose well.
What's the difference between the user and owner password?
The user password opens the document. The owner password additionally unlocks all permissions (printing, copying, editing). If you only set a user password, it acts as both.
What happens if I forget the password?
The document is unrecoverable — that's what real encryption means. There is no backdoor, and we couldn't help even if we wanted to. Store the password in a password manager.
Can the permission restrictions be bypassed?
Honest answer: by determined users with non-compliant software, yes — permissions are enforced by the viewer, not mathematics. The open-password encryption, by contrast, cannot be bypassed without the password.