Protect PDF
Add a password to your PDF to restrict access. Set user and owner passwords — processed locally in your browser.
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Click or drag a PDF here
Files are processed locally — never uploaded to any server
Your files are never uploaded. All processing happens in your browser.
How to Use
- 1
Upload your PDF
Click to upload the PDF you want to password-protect.
- 2
Set a password
Enter a password to restrict opening or editing the document.
- 3
Download
Click Protect PDF to download the password-protected file.
How It Works
This tool adds password protection to a PDF, restricting who can open it (user password) or who can edit/print it (owner password) — encryption is applied entirely within your browser before download.
User password vs. owner password
A user password is required just to open the document at all — without it, the PDF won't display. An owner password instead allows the file to be opened freely but restricts specific actions like editing, printing, or copying content, depending on which permissions are set.
Examples
Locking a sensitive document for sharing
Setting a user password before emailing a document with personal or financial information, so only someone with the password can open it even if the email is forwarded or intercepted.
Preventing edits while allowing viewing
Setting an owner password with editing/printing restricted but no user password, so anyone can read the document but can't modify or print it without the owner password.
Common Use Cases
- Restricting access to sensitive PDFs (financial statements, personal documents, contracts) before emailing
- Preventing unauthorized editing or printing of a distributed document
- Adding a basic access barrier before sharing documents over channels you don't fully control
Tips
- Standard PDF password protection is a reasonable deterrent for everyday privacy, but it isn't unbreakable — for highly sensitive or legally critical documents requiring the strongest security, consider dedicated tools like Adobe Acrobat with more advanced encryption options.
- Keep a secure record of any password you set — if you lose it yourself, there's no way to recover access to a properly encrypted PDF, including through this tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
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