Tool StudioLock a PDF with a password before you share it
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Drop in the file you want to protect.
Set a password and/or restrictions
Add a password (at least 4 characters) to require it for opening, tick the checkbox to restrict printing, copying, and editing, or both — whatever fits what you need.
Download the protected file
The result reflects exactly what you chose, in any standard PDF reader.
Protect sensitive PDFs — contracts, reports, personal documents — before sharing them. Set a password that's required just to open the file, restrict what someone can do once it's open (printing, copying, editing) without requiring any password at all, or both together.
A password sets a user password — required to open the file in any PDF reader. The restriction checkbox sets a separate owner password behind the scenes, applying permission limits while leaving the file itself freely openable (unless you also set a user password).
Your file is uploaded for processing, encrypted, and automatically deleted afterward — it isn't stored or kept.
AES-256, the same modern standard real competitors like Smallpdf advertise — a step up from the older RC4 cipher some free tools still default to. Compatible with all major PDF readers: the file requires the password to open, in Adobe Acrobat, browser PDF viewers, and any other standard reader.
No — this tool expects an unprotected file and will tell you the PDF is already protected rather than layering a second password on top. If you need to change an existing password, remove the current one first with our Password Remover, then protect it again with the new one here.
There's no recovery — the password isn't stored anywhere on our end, so keep it somewhere safe (a password manager is the reliable option) before you share the file.
A user password is required just to open the file at all. An owner password instead leaves the file readable but restricts specific actions like printing, copying text, or editing. The two can be set independently on a PDF — and now so can you: use the restriction checkbox for an owner/permissions-only lock, the password field for a user/open password, or both together.
Yes — tick the restriction checkbox without setting a password, and the file opens freely for anyone while printing, copying, and editing stay locked down. Leave the password field blank and just check the box.
Yes — encrypting the PDF happens on the server, not in your browser, so the file is uploaded for processing and then automatically deleted afterward. It isn't stored, and nobody else can access it during that brief window.
Longer and more random is meaningfully stronger — a short, common, or guessable password (like "1234" or a birthday) undermines the protection even though it technically meets the 4-character minimum. A password manager's generated password is the most reliable choice if you don't need to remember it yourself.
No — it only wraps the existing file in encryption. Every page, image, and piece of text stays exactly as it was; the password just controls who can open it.
No — a password controls who can open or use the file. A digital signature verifies who created or approved a document and that it hasn't been altered since — a different feature this tool doesn't provide.
Only if you still know it — our Password Remover tool takes a known password back off a PDF, but there's no way to recover or reset a password you've genuinely lost, here or anywhere else, since it's cryptographically embedded in the file itself.
No — protecting a document you created or own is always fine. That's a different situation from removing protection from someone else's PDF, which does require you to own the file or have the owner's permission.
Yes — password protection is a standard PDF feature, so any current PDF reader (desktop, mobile, browser-based) will prompt for the password and open it correctly once entered.
No — no account, no premium tier, and no daily cap. Everything on this site is free; there's no paywall to run into no matter how many times you use this.
Yes — 50MB per file, the same document-upload limit that applies across every PDF tool on this site.
Reduce PDF file size online with our powerful compression tool. Compress large PDF documents while maintaining optimal quality with customizable compression levels. Features three quality modes — Low (smallest file size), Medium (balanced, good size-to-quality ratio), and High (best quality, minimal size reduction) — plus an exact target-KB size if you need one. Perfect for reducing file sizes before email attachments, uploading to websites with size limits, saving storage space, optimizing PDFs for web delivery, and preparing documents for faster sharing. Uses advanced compression algorithms to optimize content streams and reduce redundant data. All processing is secure with automatic file cleanup after compression. Upload files up to 50MB for instant compression and download. Ideal for business documents, presentations, reports, scanned documents, and image-heavy PDFs. No registration required, completely free to use with unlimited compressions.
Remove password protection from PDF files quickly and securely. Upload encrypted PDFs, enter the password, and download the unlocked version without any restrictions. All files are processed securely and deleted immediately after.
Combine multiple PDF files into a single document. Upload PDFs, drag them into order (or use the up/down buttons), and merge them instantly. No sign-up, no watermark, no daily limit, and no premium tier to hit a wall against — everything on this site is free. Perfect for organizing reports, contracts, invoices, and documents into one file.
Split PDF files into multiple documents by custom page ranges. Create named splits, validate page ranges, and automatically handle leftover pages. Perfect for extracting chapters or sections from large PDFs.