Password Protect a PDF Online for Free

See the current plans for access allowances.

Create a PDF that asks for a password when opened. Choose the opening password, set the available printing, copying and editing preferences, then download the encrypted copy. Basic PDF protection is free without an account.

Basic use is free without an account, a daily file quota or a PDFandGO watermark. OCR, existing-text replacement and Word export are separate advanced operations; using them on the document can change its download-access requirements. Current allowances and Pro plans.

Protect a PDFDocument processing on your device · works in your browser

How to add a password to a PDF

Choose a PDF you can open and are authorized to protect.
Enter your chosen password twice. Keep a record of it separately from the file.
Review the printing, text-copying and editing preferences, then choose Protect and download.
Reopen the saved file in a PDF reader and check that it asks for your password. Keep the original if you need an unprotected copy.

An opening password with AES-256 encryption

The opening password is used to encrypt the saved PDF with AES-256. The recipient needs the password to open the protected copy in a compatible reader.

PDFandGO processes the document and password in your browser. The download does not send the file or its password to a recipient. Share the protected document and its password using the method you choose.

Printing, copying and editing preferences

The available controls set PDF permission preferences in the output. For example, you can leave printing allowed while clearing the copy and edit options.

Permission handling varies between PDF readers. These preferences are not a guarantee that someone who can open and view a document can never reproduce its visible content. They are separate from the encryption that requires an opening password.

Password protection, redaction or metadata removal?

Password protection restricts opening the protected copy. It does not remove sensitive words, images or document information from the original file.

Use Redact PDF when selected content should be permanently removed from a distributed copy. Use the privacy tool to inspect supported hidden document information. Choose the operation that matches what you want the recipient to receive.

Keep the password and test your copy

PDFandGO does not provide password recovery for the encrypted output. Save the password securely and reopen the downloaded file to check it before sharing.

To remove the password later, open the document using its password and use Unlock PDF. This is different from recovering a password you do not know. Basic protection adds no PDFandGO watermark; other advanced operations have their own access rules.

Try the example and inspect the output

We protected our three-page sample with an opening password. The exported document uses AES-256 encryption, rejects an incorrect password and opens with the public demo password below. Printing is allowed; the copy and edit permission preferences are cleared.

These files were created by PDFandGO for demonstration. They contain no real customer records or real signatures.

The real password-protection controls with printing allowed and copy/edit preferences cleared; password entries are masked.

These permission flags are reader preferences, separate from the opening-password encryption. This is a public demonstration document containing no confidential information.

Public sample password: PDFandGO-demo-2026. Choose your own password for your documents.

Unprotected three-page sample Password-protected sample

Questions and answers

Does the protected PDF ask for a password to open?

Yes. The output uses an opening password with AES-256 encryption. Reopen the downloaded file in a compatible reader and confirm that your chosen password works.

Will copy and edit restrictions work in every reader?

PDF viewers handle permission preferences differently. The settings are separate from the opening password and do not guarantee that visible content can never be reproduced.

Can PDFandGO recover a forgotten password?

No. Keep a record of the password and an original copy when appropriate. Unlock PDF requires a password that can open the file.

Does adding a password remove sensitive information?

No. Encryption controls opening the protected copy; it is not redaction. Remove content or inspect document information with the appropriate tool before distributing the copy.

Are my document files uploaded?

No. PDF processing runs in your browser on your own device. Software, fonts or language models may download when needed. Account, payment and technical data are handled separately as explained in the privacy policy.

Does it work on a phone?

Use a supported modern browser on your phone, tablet or computer. Large or complex documents depend on your device memory and may take longer.

Is it free?

Continue with another PDF tool

Unlock PDFOpen a protected PDF with its password and save an unencrypted copy in your browser. Free without an account; this tool does not recover forgotten passwords.Redact PDFMark sensitive text or page areas and export a redacted PDF in your browser. Review the marks before saving; your document is not uploaded.Privacy check: remove hidden PDF dataInspect supported PDF metadata, author details, attachments and comments. Choose what to remove and save a cleaned copy in your browser, without uploads.Sign PDFDraw or upload a signature and place it on your PDF. Basic signing is free without an account; document processing stays on your device.

Protect a PDF