Password Protect PDFOnline for Free
Add a password to your PDF with AES-256 encryption and choose whether people can print, copy or edit it.
- Files stay on your device
- No sign-up
- Free, no watermark
About this tool
Protect PDF
Password protect a PDF so only people with the password can open it. This tool encrypts your file with AES-256, the same standard used by modern PDF software, and lets you choose whether printing, copying text or editing is allowed.
Add a password to a PDF before emailing payslips, tax returns, bank statements, medical reports or contracts, or before storing sensitive files in shared folders and cloud drives. Permission settings are handy when you want people to read a document but not print or copy it, such as a paid e-book or a draft proposal. If someone needs to open the file in an older reader, a compatibility mode uses AES-128 instead.
Encryption happens entirely in your browser, so neither your document nor your password is sent to a server — we never see either. Keep the password safe: it can't be recovered if you forget it.
AES-256 encryption
Lock your PDF with strong, standard encryption that every major PDF reader supports.
Permission controls
Choose whether people can print, copy text or edit the protected document.
Compatibility mode
Switch to AES-128 when the file must open in older PDF readers.
Password stays local
Your password and file are handled in your browser and never transmitted.
Step by step
How to password protect a PDF
- 1
Upload your PDF
Click Choose PDF or drag and drop the file you want to protect.
- 2
Choose a password
Type a password twice, then choose whether people may print, copy text or edit the PDF.
- 3
Download the protected PDF
Click Protect PDF. The encrypted file downloads straight away and asks for the password when opened.