Password Protect a PDF

Put a password on a PDF. Anyone opening it will be asked for the password first. The encryption is done by your browser, which matters here more than anywhere: a document worth protecting is not one to hand to a server.

How to Password Protect a PDF

1. Open the PDF — Drop in the document to protect.
2. Set a password — Choose something you can pass on to the recipient by another route.
3. Download — Save the encrypted PDF.

When this comes in useful

• Emailing a payslip, medical letter or bank statement
• Sharing a contract that should not be readable if forwarded on
• Protecting an archive copy of personal records

Questions

How do I put a password on a PDF?

Open the file here, type the password you want, and download. The saved PDF will ask for that password when anyone opens it.

What happens if I forget the password?

The document cannot be opened. PalPDF cannot recover it — that is what encryption means. Keep a copy of the unprotected original somewhere safe.

Is it safe to protect a sensitive PDF on a website?

With this one, the file is never transmitted: encryption runs inside your browser tab. You can confirm that by disconnecting from the network — the tool still works.

Related tools

• Remove a PDF Password — Remove a password you do know
• How to Redact a PDF Properly — Black out details permanently first
• Flatten a PDF — Flatten fields so they cannot be changed