I need to password-protect a PDF (or remove a password)
Sending something confidential? Lock it with a password. Received a protected file you own? Remove the password so you can work with it.
To secure a PDF, use a protect tool to add a password. It encrypts the file so only people with the password can open it. To remove protection you already have the password for, use an unlock tool. Both run in your browser with genuine AES encryption. The file and password are never uploaded.
4 tools for this
Each one is free, private and runs in your browser. No sign-up, no watermark.
Protect PDF
Add a password and AES encryption to any PDF so only people with the password can open it. Free, fast and completely in your browser.
Unlock PDF
Remove the open password from a PDF you own, enter the password, and download a decrypted copy you can read, edit and print. Free and 100% in your browser.
Sign PDF
Sign a PDF online for free. Draw your signature, type your name in a handwritten font, or upload a signature image, then drag it onto the page, resize it and download a signed PDF. 100% in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Compress PDF
Shrink a PDF's file size right in your browser. Pick a compression level, see exactly how much you saved, and download. No uploads, no watermark.
How to fix it
Follow these steps and you'll have it sorted in a couple of minutes.
- 1
Choose protect or unlock
Use Password-Protect PDF to add a password, or Unlock PDF to remove one you already know.
- 2
Add your file
Drop the PDF in. It's processed locally in your browser: the document and the password stay on your device.
- 3
Set or enter the password
To protect, pick a strong password and confirm it. To unlock, type the current password so the tool can decrypt the file.
- 4
Download the result
Save the encrypted (or now-open) PDF. Share the password over a separate channel, never in the same email.
- Emailing the protected PDF and its password in the same message. That defeats the whole point. Send them separately.
- Expecting to 'unlock' a PDF whose password you don't have. These tools remove protection you're entitled to. They don't crack unknown passwords.
- Choosing a weak password like a name or 1234: use a long, random one from a password generator for anything sensitive.
Frequently asked questions
More problems we solve
Ran into one of these too? Here's the fix.
- My PDF won't upload to a form or portal'Upload failed' rarely means the file is broken. Work through the three usual culprits (size, security and page count) and it'll go through.
- I need to combine several PDFs into oneApplications and submissions often want a single PDF. Merge your files in the right order, in seconds, without any software.
- I need to edit the text in a PDFYou don't need expensive software to change a word or fill in a form. Edit the PDF in place and download the updated file.
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Ready? Start with Protect PDF
Free, private and instant: everything runs in your browser.