--- title: "Password-protect or unlock a PDF" description: "Encrypt a PDF with AES-256 and an open password, restrict printing and copying, or remove a password you know. It all runs in your browser, nothing uploaded." url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/password-protect-pdf/ collection: "Privacy & security" section: "Protecting PDFs" updated: 2026-10-18 publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)" --- # Password-protect or unlock a PDF > Use [Protect PDF](https://pdfbetter.com/tools/protect-pdf/): choose **Require a password to open**, set the **Open password**, pick what's allowed and click **Protect PDF**. [Unlock PDF](https://pdfbetter.com/tools/unlock-pdf/) removes a password you know. Both run in your browser, and nobody at PDFBetter can recover a forgotten password. - Available on: without an account, Free, Pro, Business 1. **Choose the protection**: Open [Protect PDF](https://pdfbetter.com/tools/protect-pdf/) and drop in your file; it's read and encrypted on your device. Under **Protection**, pick **Require a password to open** (the file is encrypted; nobody can read it without the password) or **Only restrict printing/copying**. 2. **Set the passwords**: Type and confirm the **Open password**. Add an **Owner password** (different from the open password) if you want to change permissions later; without one, a random owner password is set. 3. **Choose what's allowed**: Tick what people with the open password may do: **Printing**, **Copying text and images**, **Changing the document**, **Comments and annotations**, **Filling form fields**. 4. **Click Protect PDF**: The encrypted PDF downloads right away. Open it once to check the password works, and send the password through a different channel than the file, such as a text message. ## Open password vs. permissions | Setting | What it does | How strong | | --- | --- | --- | | Open password | Encrypts the content with AES-256. Without it, the file can't be read. | The real lock. | | Permissions (owner password) | Asks the PDF viewer to block printing, editing, copying, annotating or form filling. With **Only restrict printing/copying**, anyone can open the file. | Enforced by the viewer. Acrobat, Preview and browsers honour it; some tools ignore it. | > **Forgotten passwords can't be recovered:** The password never leaves your device, so PDFBetter can't reset it. Keep the original unprotected file if you might need it later. ## Remove a password Open [Unlock PDF](https://pdfbetter.com/tools/unlock-pdf/), enter the open password (or the owner password for files that only restrict printing or editing) and click **Unlock**. The new copy opens without a password. PDFBetter doesn't crack or bypass passwords; if you've lost it, ask the sender for an unprotected copy. The editor can't open password-protected files either, so unlock them first (see [A PDF won't open](https://help.pdfbetter.com/troubleshooting/pdf-wont-open-password-damaged/)). ## Good to know - Protect last: edit and [download your document](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/download-edited-pdf/) first, then run it through Protect PDF. - A password controls who can open the file, not what they do with what they see. It doesn't stop screenshots. - Adobe Acrobat/Reader X and later, macOS Preview, Chrome, Edge and Firefox open AES-256 files. Some very old readers and embedded devices can't. For a longer walkthrough, see [how to password-protect a PDF](https://pdfbetter.com/guides/how-to-password-protect-a-pdf/). ### Can I add a password to a share link instead? Yes. [Share links](https://help.pdfbetter.com/sharing/create-share-link/) can require a password, expire and be turned off. That protects the link, while Protect PDF protects the file itself wherever it goes. ### Can I protect a PDF that's already encrypted? Unlock it first with its current password, then set new passwords. ## Related articles - [Remove hidden data from a PDF before you share it](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/sanitize-hidden-data.md): Use Sanitize PDF. It shows what your PDF carries besides its pages, such as metadata, attachments, scripts and hidden layers, removes what you tick, and gives you a report. It runs in your browser. - [Why black boxes and whiteout aren't redaction](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/redaction-vs-blackout.md): Erase (whiteout) and Blackout only cover content visually, and the text underneath stays in the file where anyone can copy it out. Redact removes it: after you apply redactions, each affected page is rebuilt without the marked content. - [A PDF won't open: password-protected or damaged files](https://help.pdfbetter.com/troubleshooting/pdf-wont-open-password-damaged.md): If the PDF is password-protected, unlock it with Unlock PDF (you need the password) and upload the unlocked copy. If it's damaged or too complex, re-save it or print it to a new PDF from the app that made it, then upload that copy. - [Share a PDF with a link](https://help.pdfbetter.com/sharing/create-share-link.md): In the editor, click Done → Share, pick what people can do (Can view, Can comment, Can fill or Can edit), set expiry, password and download options, then click Create link and Copy link. - [Which tools run in your browser and which use our servers](https://help.pdfbetter.com/convert-organize/browser-vs-server-tools.md): Merge, split, rotate, organize, images ↔ PDF, protect, unlock, sanitize and compare run in your browser: nothing is uploaded and they download free without an account. Office conversions, compression beyond Light, OCR and PDF/A run on our servers and count toward a monthly allowance. --- Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/password-protect-pdf/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com