Live
Unlock PDF
Remove a password you already know
Protect PDF
LiveSet a password and download a PDF that every viewer refuses to open without it. Encrypted with AES-256, the current PDF standard.
What it does
- AES-256 encryption, the strongest the PDF spec offers
- Your password is used once to encrypt and never stored
- No watermarks, no signup, files auto-delete within the hour
Your files
Gone within the hour.
Files are uploaded over HTTPS, used only to run this tool, and deleted from our server automatically about an hour later. Never sold, never used to train anything.
How to password protect a PDF
Add the PDF
One file, up to 50 MB. The panel confirms the page count and that the file will be encrypted with AES-256.
Type the password twice
The repeat field is there to catch a typo you would otherwise only discover when the file would not open. Show passwords reveals both if you want to check.
Pick a long one
The encryption is only as strong as the password guarding it, so length matters more than punctuation.
Press Protect PDF
The protected copy needs the password to open, in any reader. There is no way to recover a forgotten PDF password, for you or for us, so put it somewhere safe before you close the tab.
Frequently asked questions
How strong is the protection?
AES-256, the encryption the current PDF specification defines. Every mainstream viewer (Acrobat, Preview, browsers) supports it and will require the password before showing anything.
Do you store my password?
No. It is used once, in memory, to encrypt your file, and is never written to our database or logs. That also means we cannot recover it: if you forget the password, nobody can.
Can I remove the password later?
Yes, with our Unlock PDF tool, as long as you can type the password. That is the point of encryption: knowing the password is the only way in.
What happens to my file?
Sent over HTTPS, encrypted, and deleted from our server automatically about an hour later. Never sold, never used to train anything.