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Password Protect a PDF

Lock your PDF with a password, and choose whether people can print, copy or edit it. Your pages stay exactly as they are.

How to password protect a PDF

  1. 1

    Choose your PDF

    Pick the file you want to lock, like a payslip, a contract or a medical report. It opens for the current task and is not retained by PilotPDF.

  2. 2

    Set a password and permissions

    Type a password twice. If you like, stop people printing, copying or changing the file.

  3. 3

    Protect and download

    Click Protect PDF and download the locked copy. If a permissions password was made for you, copy it and keep it safe.

Choosing a password that actually protects

The encryption itself is very strong, so the weak point is almost always the password. Three or four random words strung together, like Sunflower-Harbour-72, are both hard to guess and easy to type.

Don't reuse a password you use for email or banking, and don't send it in the same message as the PDF. A text message or a quick phone call is much safer.

There's no reset link for a PDF password. If you lose it, the file stays locked, so keep your unprotected original somewhere safe.

What the permission settings do

A password to open decides who can read the file at all. Permissions go further and decide what readers can do once it's open: print it, copy text out of it, change pages, or fill in forms.

Permissions are honoured by Adobe Reader, web browsers and most PDF apps, which is enough to stop casual printing or copying. They're not a lock against a determined person with specialist software, so for truly secret documents rely on the open password and who you share it with.

Protecting a file keeps your pages exactly as they are. Text stays searchable and selectable for anyone who opens it, and links and bookmarks keep working.

From the blog

Your files are never retained by PilotPDF

PilotPDF does not keep copies of your original files, completed files, passwords, or document contents after processing.

Read our privacy policy for details about analytics and data handling.

Related tools

Unlock PDF

Remove a password when you know it.

Add Watermark

Mark the pages CONFIDENTIAL as well.

Redact PDF

Black out details before sharing.

Remove PDF Metadata

Clear the author name and other hidden details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Choose your PDF, type a password twice, and click Protect PDF. Download the protected copy. Anyone who opens it will be asked for the password.
The file is encrypted with AES-256, the strongest option PDF offers. A long password that you don't use anywhere else matters just as much; the strength bar shows how yours rates.
Yes. Under What people can do, set printing to not allowed or low quality only, and untick copying or changes. Adobe Reader, browsers and most PDF apps respect these settings, though some editing programs ignore them.
It's a second password that lets you lift the restrictions later. If you don't type one, a strong one is made for you and shown once, so copy it somewhere safe.
Yes. Untick Ask for a password to open the file and choose your restrictions. Anyone can read the PDF, but they can't print or copy it in apps that respect the settings.
Yes. The pages are encrypted as they are, not turned into pictures, so once someone opens the file they can search and select text as normal.
There's no way to recover it, from us or anyone else. Keep your unprotected original, or save the password in a password manager.
Not in the same email as the file. Send it another way, like a text message or a phone call, so one leaked message doesn't expose both.
Remove the old password with Unlock PDF first, then add the new one here.
No. The PDF is encrypted online, and neither the file nor your password is sent anywhere.