Password-protect or unlock a PDF
Use Protect PDF: choose Require a password to open, set the Open password, pick what's allowed and click Protect PDF. Unlock PDF removes a password you know. Both run in your browser, and nobody at PDFBetter can recover a forgotten password.
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Step 1: Choose the protection
Open 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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. |
Remove a password
Open 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).
Good to know
- Protect last: edit and download your document 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.
Can I add a password to a share link instead?
Yes. Share links 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.
Tools in this article
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