Protect PDF: Add a Password to Your PDF
Sending something confidential: a contract, payslip, or ID? Lock the PDF with a password so only people who know it can open it, and decide whether printing or copying is allowed.
or drop a file here · free, no signup, files deleted automatically
How to password-protect a PDF
- Upload your PDF (drag & drop or browse).
- Choose Protect PDF, set a user password, and pick what's allowed (printing, copying, editing).
- Download the encrypted PDF. Your original upload is deleted from our server automatically.
Why use Forge Files?
- Real encryption: the file is encrypted, not just “hidden”; the password is required to open it.
- Permission control: separately allow or block printing, copying text, and editing.
- Free & verifiably private: deleted after download, open source, no account.
Encrypt a PDF with a password
Protect PDF adds a password so only the people you share it with can open the file, and lets you set permissions such as restricting printing or copying. It's the right tool before emailing a contract, a payslip, or anything confidential. Choose a strong password and share it separately from the file itself.
The opposite direction
Need to remove a password from a PDF you own (so you can edit or convert it)? Use Unlock PDF. You can always re-protect the file here afterwards. To mark a document visually as private, add a CONFIDENTIAL watermark.
Is the Protect PDF tool private?
Yes. Your file is uploaded over encrypted HTTPS, processed, handed back, and then deleted — the upload goes the moment the Protect PDF operation finishes and the result the instant you download it, with an hourly sweeper as a backstop. Unlike closed tools that just claim they don't keep your files, Forge Files's code is fully open source, so you can verify exactly how the Protect PDF tool handles your data — or self-host it. No account, no watermark, no upsell. See our privacy details for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between the user and owner password?
The user password is required to open the document. The optional owner password controls permissions (like editing) without being needed just to view the file.
Can I remove the password later?
Yes, as long as you know it, use the free Unlock PDF tool to produce an unprotected copy.
Is my password stored anywhere?
No. It's used only to encrypt your file during processing, and your upload is deleted right after download. The code is open source so you can verify this.
More free tools
Unlock PDF · Watermark PDF · Compress PDF · Sign PDF · Merge PDF