Protect PDF
100% free & online — drop your PDF to add a password with AES-256 encryption.
How to password protect a PDF
Encrypt a PDF in three steps. No signup, no installs.
Drag your PDF into the dropzone, browse your device, or import from Google Drive or Dropbox.
Type and confirm a password. Optionally block printing, copying, editing or comments with a separate permissions password.
Your PDF is encrypted with AES-256 in seconds. It opens in any PDF reader once the password is entered.
Password Protect PDF Online — Free & Private
Contracts, bank statements, medical records, invoices and HR files often travel by email or cloud links — and once a PDF is sent, anyone who gets hold of it can open it. Adding a password is the simplest way to make sure only the right people can read it.
This tool lets you password protect a PDF right in your browser using AES-256, the strongest encryption in the PDF standard and the same level Adobe Acrobat uses. Set a password to open the file, and optionally restrict printing, copying text, editing and comments with a separate permissions password.
Because encryption happens on your device, your document and password are never uploaded to a server — an important difference when the file is sensitive enough to need a password in the first place. The protected PDF opens in Adobe Reader, Chrome, Edge, macOS Preview and every modern PDF app.
Whether you need to encrypt a PDF before emailing it, lock a PDF you share publicly, or stop others copying your content, it's free, with no watermark, no account and no daily limit — just a 200 MB per-file cap.
Why Use Our PDF Password Tool?
Strong, private and free — no app, no upload, no fuss.
Your PDF is encrypted locally in your browser. The file and password never touch a server.
The strongest encryption in the PDF standard — the same level used by Adobe Acrobat.
Block printing, copying, editing or comments — with or without a password to open.
See how strong your password is as you type, with a confirm field to prevent typos.
Works with Adobe Reader, Chrome, Edge, Preview and other modern PDF apps — nothing extra to install.
iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows — if it has a modern browser, it works.
Related PDF tools
Free, browser-based, and built the same way as Protect PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. There's no signup, no trial and no watermark. There are no daily limits — only a 200 MB cap per file.
No. Encryption runs locally in your browser, so your document and password never leave your device and nothing is stored.
No. This tool works 100% online in any modern browser — Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. There's nothing to download and no account to create.
Your PDF is encrypted with AES-256, the strongest method in the PDF standard (the same used by Adobe Acrobat). Its security depends on your password, so use a long one — the strength meter helps.
The open password is required to view the PDF at all. The permissions password is only needed to change restrictions such as printing, copying or editing. You can use either or both.
Yes. Turn off "Required to open", then untick the actions you want to block. Anyone can read the PDF, but PDF readers will enforce those restrictions.
It can't be recovered — not by us or anyone else, because encryption happens on your device and we never see the password. Keep a copy of the original file or store the password somewhere safe.
Yes. AES-256 PDFs open in Adobe Acrobat and Reader (version 9 or later), Chrome, Edge, Firefox, macOS Preview and all modern PDF apps after entering the password.