Protect PDF
Lock a PDF with a password
- 100% free
- No signup required
- Files deleted automatically after 2 hours
Choose a PDF fileor drop PDFs herePDF · max 200 MB
Files deleted automatically after 2 hours
What this tool does
Protecting a PDF is the simplest way to stop a contract, a payslip or an ID scan from being forwarded to the wrong person. PDFMaster encrypts the document with 256-bit AES and requires your password before it will open. You also decide what the recipient may do with the file once it is open -- print it, copy text out of it, or neither. Permissions are enforced by compliant readers; the encryption itself is what actually keeps the content private.
How to Protect PDF
- 1Add your PDFDrop in the document you want to lock.
- 2Set a passwordType the password someone will need to open the file, and choose what they may do with it.
- 3DownloadDownload the encrypted PDF. Keep the password safe -- there is no recovery.
Frequently asked questions
- What encryption is used?
- AES-256, the strongest standard PDF encryption. Older readers may only support 128-bit, which you can select if needed.
- Can I recover a forgotten password?
- No. The file is encrypted with your password only, so there is nothing on our side to recover from.
- Is the password stored anywhere?
- No. It is used to encrypt the file and then discarded with the job.
- Do permissions really stop copying?
- Compliant readers enforce them, and the encrypted stream must be decrypted to be read at all -- but no scheme can stop someone photographing the screen.