Protect PDF with a Password

Protect a PDF with a password — locking the file before you share it so only the right people can open it.

PDF
up to 25 MB per file
Deleted after one hour

How it works

01
Upload your PDF
Choose the document to protect.
02
Set the password
Enter the password for the new locked file.
03
Download the protected PDF
Share the file along with the password separately.

What Protect PDF does

Put a password on a PDF so it cannot be opened without one. Worth doing before emailing anything with personal or financial detail in it — payslips, medical letters, contracts, bank statements — since mail sits on servers you do not control and gets forwarded in ways you cannot predict.

Limitations

The file is encrypted with standard 128-bit PDF encryption under the password you type; there is no recovery — a forgotten password means the file cannot be opened by us or anyone else.
A user password stops opening; it does not stop someone who knows it from copying text or printing.

When you'd use it

Payslips or medical letters sent by email
A draft that should only open for the people who were given the password
Meeting the 'password-protected attachment' rule of a client

Formats and limits

Accepts: .pdf — a password-protected PDF needs its password, or Unlock PDF first
Produces: Password-Protected PDF
Files per run: One
Size limit: 25 MB per file

What happens to your file

Processed over an encrypted connection and deleted after one hour.

Full detail in the Privacy Policy.

Questions

Can I lock a PDF that is already protected?

Yes, if you know the current password. Enter it as the current password and set a new one.

Should I share the password in the same place as the PDF?

No. For better security, share the password separately.

What happens if I forget the password?

The document cannot be opened, by you or anyone else. That is the point of encryption. Store the password somewhere reliable before you send the file.

How should I send the password to the recipient?

Through a different channel from the file. Emailing the PDF and the password together defeats the purpose — send one by email and the other by message or phone.

Does this stop the file being copied or printed?

It controls opening, not what someone does once they are in. Anyone with the password has a normal PDF and can print or copy from it.