Protect PDF
Add a password to protect your PDF.
Enable JavaScript in your browser to use this tool.
Protect PDF help
Save a password-protected copy of your PDF. Choose the available protection settings, keep your password safely and check the downloaded document before sharing it.
How to use Protect PDF
- Choose the PDF you want to protect.
- Enter Password to open the PDF and repeat it in Confirm password; review the permission checkboxes.
- Click Protect PDF to create the protected copy.
- Click Download and test opening the file with your password before sharing it.
Options explained
- Password to open the PDF
- Set the password recipients must enter to read the document; use at least eight characters.
- Confirm password
- Repeat the opening password to catch typing mistakes.
- Password to change restrictions (optional)
- Set a separate owner password; leaving it blank reuses the opening password.
- Allow printing
- Permit printing in readers that respect PDF permissions.
- Allow copying
- Permit copying text and content in compliant readers.
- Allow editing
- Permit changes in compliant readers; permission flags are not a guarantee against every editor.
- Allow form filling
- Allow recipients to enter supported form values.
- Allow comments and highlights
- Permit annotation in readers that respect these permissions.
Limits and supported files
PDF documents. An opening password is required when the file needs one to be read.
Local tests used synthetic 10, 50, 100 and 200 MB PDFs containing large images. Chromium, Firefox and WebKit: completed 10, 50, 100, 200 MB.
Chromium, Firefox and WebKit: completed 50, 300, 1000 text pages.
Protect PDF was tested on a 16 GB Mac with Chromium, Firefox and WebKit. These are observed examples, not guaranteed limits on your device. WebKit tests do not replace a check in Safari on your own device.
Questions
Can localiPDF recover a password I forget?
No. Keep a separate record of the password and retain your original document. A password needed to open a PDF must be supplied before its protected contents can be accessed.
Is password protection the same as redaction?
No. Protection controls access to a file; redaction removes selected visible information from a new copy. Once a recipient can read a document, password protection does not make its visible information secret from that recipient.
How do I require a password to open a PDF?
Set the password recipients must enter to read the document; use at least eight characters.
Why must I enter the opening password twice?
Repeat the opening password to catch typing mistakes.
Your files are processed on your device. Verify it yourself. Read our privacy policy for details about website analytics and saved settings.