Lock a PDF with a password before you email or upload it. Anyone who opens the file will need the password to see it.
Password protection encrypts the whole document with AES-128, the standard supported by Adobe Acrobat, Preview on Mac, Chrome, Edge and every modern PDF reader. Without the password the file cannot be opened, which makes it a sensible precaution for tax returns, bank statements, medical records and contracts sent by email.
You can also limit what people do after opening the file, such as printing or copying text. Most apps respect these permissions, but not all of them do, so treat them as a deterrent rather than real security. Share the password separately from the file, for example by text message, and keep a copy: a lost password cannot be recovered by anyone.
The standard supported by Acrobat, Preview, Chrome and Edge.
Restrict printing, copying or editing after the file is opened.
Protected files open in every modern PDF reader.
Your file and password stay in your browser.
The file is encrypted with AES-128. With a long, unusual password it cannot realistically be opened without the password.
It cannot be recovered, by us or anyone else. Keep your original unprotected file, or store the password somewhere safe.
Yes. Preview, Safari, Adobe Acrobat, Chrome, Edge and other standard readers ask for the password and open the file.
No. Encryption happens in your browser. Neither the file nor the password leaves your device.
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