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Protect PDF

Password-protect your PDF with 256-bit AES.

How it works
  1. 1Add your PDFDrop in the PDF you want to lock, or pick it from your device.
  2. 2Choose a passwordType a password you can share with the right people. Longer is stronger.
  3. 3Download the locked copyThe new PDF asks for the password before it shows a single page.
At a glance
encryption that standard PDF readers open
256-bit AES
uploaded: file and password stay on your device
0 bytes
needed by anyone who opens the file
1 password
no sign-up and no watermark
Free

Questions and answers

How do I password protect a PDF for free?

Add the PDF to the tool at the top of this page, type a password and download the protected copy. It’s free, with no sign-up.

What encryption does Pagestro use?

256-bit AES, the strongest encryption in the PDF standard. Current PDF readers on desktop, browser and phone open it.

Can I stop people printing or copying the PDF?

Yes. Printing is blocked by default, and you can also block copying text and images, or editing, comments and form filling. Readers that follow the PDF standard enforce these limits after the password is entered.

What happens if I forget the password?

Pagestro can’t recover it, because we never see it. Keep your original unprotected file somewhere safe until you’re sure.

How should I share the password?

Use a different channel from the file. If you email the PDF, send the password by text message or tell the person in a call.

Is my PDF or password uploaded?

No. Both stay in your browser on your own device. The encryption happens there, and nothing is sent to Pagestro.

How do I remove the password later?

Open the file in Unlock PDF, enter the password and download a copy without it.

Related security tools

At a glance

encryption that standard PDF readers open
256-bit AES
uploaded: file and password stay on your device
0 bytes
needed by anyone who opens the file
1 password
no sign-up and no watermark
Free

How it works

A password in three steps

  1. 1

    Add your PDF

    Drop in the PDF you want to lock, or pick it from your device.

    Protect PDF tool waiting for a file
  2. 2

    Choose a password

    Type a password you can share with the right people. Longer is stronger.

    Password field next to the loaded PDF
  3. 3

    Download the locked copy

    The new PDF asks for the password before it shows a single page.

    Encrypted PDF ready to download
Protect a PDF

Why Pagestro

Locked on your device, opened anywhere

  • Encrypted before it goes anywhere

    Your browser encrypts the PDF. The unprotected file never travels over the internet.

  • We never see the password

    It’s used inside this page and never sent anywhere.

  • Opens in standard readers

    Desktop, browser and phone PDF readers ask for the password.

  • Lock files on your phone

    Protect a scan right after you make it, before you send it.

  • The whole file is locked

    Without the password, the pages, text and images stay unreadable.

  • Protect it last

    Merge, watermark or compress first, then add the password as the final step.

  • Free, with no account

    Lock as many files as you need. No sign-up and nothing stamped on your pages.

Private by design

A password that travels with the file

Email gets forwarded and shared drives get messy. A password-protected PDF stays locked wherever it ends up, and only people with the password can open it. Pagestro adds that lock in your browser, so the unprotected version never leaves your device.

  • No upload of the original or the password
  • The lock stays on the file when it’s forwarded
  • Share the password through a different channel

On the go

Lock it on your phone, then send

Scanned your passport for a visa form? Open Pagestro in your phone’s browser, add a password, and attach the locked copy instead.

  • No app to install
  • Works in Safari, Chrome and Firefox
  • The locked PDF saves to your phone
Adding a password to a PDF on a phone

Who uses it

Files that shouldn’t be open to anyone

  • Password added

    Accountants

    Tax returns sent to clients

    Email the return, then text the password.

  • Password added

    HR and payroll

    Payslips and contracts

    Personal pay details, readable only by the employee.

  • Password added

    Families

    Medical and school records

    Share reports with a new doctor or school, locked.

  • Password added

    Freelancers

    ID scans and signed contracts

    Send the copies a client asks for without leaving them open.

How Pagestro compares

How Pagestro compares
PagestroDesktop softwareUpload-based sites
Unprotected file stays on your deviceYesYesNo
Password never sent to a serverYesYesNo
Nothing to installYesNoYes
Works on phones and tabletsYesNoYes
PriceFreeOften a paid licenseVaries by site

Protect PDF questions

Didn't find your answer? Write to us and we'll reply by email.

Ask a question
How do I password protect a PDF for free?

Add the PDF to the tool at the top of this page, type a password and download the protected copy. It’s free, with no sign-up.

What encryption does Pagestro use?

256-bit AES, the strongest encryption in the PDF standard. Current PDF readers on desktop, browser and phone open it.

Can I stop people printing or copying the PDF?

Yes. Printing is blocked by default, and you can also block copying text and images, or editing, comments and form filling. Readers that follow the PDF standard enforce these limits after the password is entered.

What happens if I forget the password?

Pagestro can’t recover it, because we never see it. Keep your original unprotected file somewhere safe until you’re sure.

How should I share the password?

Use a different channel from the file. If you email the PDF, send the password by text message or tell the person in a call.

Is my PDF or password uploaded?

No. Both stay in your browser on your own device. The encryption happens there, and nothing is sent to Pagestro.

How do I remove the password later?

Open the file in Unlock PDF, enter the password and download a copy without it.

Related security tools

All tools