Password protect a PDF

Encrypt a PDF with AES-256, and choose whether readers may print it, edit it or copy text out of it.

Free · no sign-up · your file never leaves your device

There is an obvious problem with using a website to add a password to a confidential document: you have just given that website the unprotected version. Whatever the privacy policy says, the file was on someone else’s machine in the clear.

PeppyPDF encrypts in the browser. The unprotected document is never transmitted, the password is never sent anywhere, and the encrypted file is written on your device and downloaded directly to you.

How to password protect a PDF

Three steps, and nothing to install.

Open the document

Drag in the PDF you want to protect. If it is already password-protected, enter its password to open it.

Set a password and permissions

Open Tools → Password protect. Set an open password, optionally an owner password, and tick which of printing, editing and copying you want to allow.

Export the encrypted file

Press Export PDF. The download is encrypted with AES-256 and will prompt for your password in any PDF reader.

What makes this one different

AES-256 encryption

The current standard for PDF security, accepted by Acrobat and every mainstream reader.

Granular permissions

Allow printing but block editing, or permit reading while preventing text extraction — useful for documents you must circulate but do not want altered.

Remove a password too

If you can open a protected file, you can export it without protection. Useful when you own a document whose password you no longer wish to type daily.

The password stays local

It is used to encrypt the file in your browser and is never transmitted, logged or stored anywhere.

Questions

The things people ask most about this tool.

What is the difference between the open password and the owner password?

The open password is required to view the document at all. The owner password grants full rights and can be used to change permissions later — set it if you want to keep control while giving others read access.

Can I remove a password from a PDF?

Yes, provided you know it. Open the file with its password and export without setting a new one. PeppyPDF cannot break protection on a document you cannot already open.

How strong is the encryption?

AES-256, the strongest encryption defined by the PDF specification. A strong, unique password matters more than the cipher — a short password is guessable regardless.

Will the recipient need special software?

No. Any standard PDF reader will prompt for the password and open the file normally.

What happens if I forget the password?

The document cannot be recovered — that is the point of encryption. Store it in a password manager before you send the file.