Lock a PDF with a password in your browser — AES-256 encryption, no software to install, no signup. Plus how to remove a password you know.
When to password-protect a PDF
Contracts, payslips, medical records, ID scans — anything you would not want readable if the email or drive link leaks. A password-protected PDF is encrypted, so the contents are unreadable without the password even if someone gets the file.
Protect it in three steps
Open the free Protect PDF tool and add your file.
Choose a strong password — length beats complexity; a short sentence works well.
Download the encrypted PDF. It now requires the password to open in any PDF reader.
Send the password separately
Never put the password in the same email as the file. Send the PDF by email and the password by text message or a phone call — that way one leaked channel is not enough to open the document.
Removing a password you know
If you legitimately own a protected PDF and are tired of typing the password, the Unlock PDF tool removes the protection: enter the current password once and download an unlocked copy. Lost passwords cannot be recovered — the encryption is genuine, which is the point.