Protect PDF
Put a password on a PDF so it cannot be opened without one, and set what a reader is allowed to do with it once they are in. It is free, needs no account, and adds no watermark to your result.
Protect PDF
Add your files. Recommended settings are ready, so you can process in one click.
PDF, Word, images, audio, video, archives and more
Up to 100 files · 250 MB · No account- 1Add files
- 2Choose an action
- 3Download or keep going
What people use it for.
What happens to your file.
Two different protections are available and they do different jobs. An open password encrypts the contents, so the file cannot be read at all without it: this is the one that actually protects the document. Permissions cover printing, copying text and editing, and they are recorded as flags in the file and enforced by the reader. Both are written into a new copy of the PDF; the pages themselves are unchanged.
Where it stops: Permission flags are honoured by well-behaved readers and ignored by everything else, so restricting printing or copying discourages rather than prevents. Only the open password gives real protection, and only in proportion to how hard it is to guess. If you lose it, nothing here or anywhere else will recover the document, so keep it somewhere you trust before you send the file.
Everything you need, without a paywall.
Common questions.
How do I password protect a PDF for free?
Upload the file, set an open password and choose any restrictions, then download the protected copy. No account and no watermark.
What happens if I forget the password?
The document cannot be recovered. Encryption is what makes it unreadable, and there is no back door. Store the password before you send the file.
Do the restrictions actually stop printing?
They stop readers that respect them, which is most ordinary ones, but they are flags rather than encryption. Only the open password provides real protection.
Can I protect a file I did not create?
Yes, as long as you are entitled to modify it. Protecting a document is a change to it like any other.
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