Protect a PDF with a Password
Lock a PDF before you email or share it. It's encrypted on your device, and the password isn't sent anywhere.
or drop it here
Accepts: PDF
Converted on this device. Your files are never uploaded.
What the password does
Type the password twice so a typo can't lock you out. The PDF is encrypted with AES-256, the encryption described in the PDF 2.0 specification, and a viewer can't open it without the password.
Encryption is only as strong as the password. A long one that's hard to guess, such as a few unrelated words, is far better than a birthdate. Send the password a different way than the file, for example by text when the PDF goes by email.
Also block printing and copying
Turn this on to restrict printing and copying text. The restrictions are tied to a separate owner password that is generated for you and never shown, so knowing the open password isn't enough to lift them in a viewer that follows the PDF rules.
Restrictions are enforced by the viewer software, and qpdf's documentation notes that they only stop people who don't know how to get around them. Count on the open password, not the restrictions, to keep a file private.
Which apps can open it
Current versions of Adobe Acrobat, Chrome, Edge, Safari and Preview, and PDF apps on phones open AES-256 files. Very old PDF viewers may not, because this format needs PDF 1.7 extension level 8 or later.
Inplace never sees or stores your password. If it's lost, it can't be reset and the file can't be opened, so keep the unprotected original or write the password down somewhere safe.
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Questions
What if I forget the password?
The file can't be opened, and nobody can reset the password for you. Keep an unprotected copy if you might need it later.
Can I change or remove the password later?
Remove it with Unlock PDF (you'll need the current password), then protect the result again with a new one.
The person I sent it to can't open it. Why?
Their PDF viewer may be too old for AES-256. Ask them to try a current browser such as Chrome or Edge, or the PDF app on their phone.
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