Protect PDF — Encrypt Your Document with Password & Permissions
Add a password to open your PDF and control what others can do with it — printing, editing, copying, and more. AES-128 encryption keeps your content private, and everything runs locally in your browser.
Key Features
AES-128 Encryption
Your document is encrypted with strong AES-128 encryption, so its content is unreadable without the password.
Dual Passwords
Set a user password to open the file and a separate owner password to control permissions — or use just one.
Granular Permissions
Restrict printing, editing, copying, annotating, form filling, accessibility, and assembly with simple checkboxes.
100% Private
All processing happens locally in your browser. Your PDF and passwords never leave your device.
No Install, Free
Works on any device with a browser. No sign-up, no watermarks, and completely free.
What Is PDF Protection?
PDF protection uses encryption to keep a document's contents private and to control what readers can do with it. A user password (also called an open password) is required to view the file, while an owner password governs permissions such as printing, editing, or copying. This tool encrypts your PDF with AES-128 and lets you set both passwords and choose which actions to allow. Encryption and password entry happen entirely in your browser, so your file and passwords are never transmitted anywhere.
How to Protect a PDF
Protecting a PDF takes just a few steps. Everything runs in your browser.
Upload your PDF
Drag and drop a PDF file or click the upload area to select one.
Set your passwords
Enter a user password to require a password to open the file, and optionally an owner password to control permissions.
Choose allowed actions
Tick or untick the permissions you want to allow, such as printing, editing, and copying.
Protect and download
Click Protect PDF and download the encrypted file. Remember your passwords — they cannot be recovered.
Good to Know
Already-encrypted PDFs cannot be processed and must be unlocked first. If you forget the user or owner password, there is no way to recover it — keep them safe. Permissions are a convenience that honest PDF readers respect; they are not absolute protection against determined attackers. Some older PDF viewers only support 40-bit encryption, so a file encrypted with 128-bit may not open in very old software. For your own file, you must remember the passwords you set.