Protect a PDF with a password, remove a password you know, unlock restricted PDFs and check how any PDF is encrypted, all in one free online tool. Everything runs in your browser, so your documents and passwords stay private.
🔒 Private by design: your PDF and your passwords are processed inside your browser and are never uploaded to any server.
Choose what you want to do. The tool above switches instantly, and the file you uploaded stays loaded.
A PDF often holds things you would not hand to just anyone: contracts, payslips, bank statements, ID scans or business proposals. This free online PDF security tool lets you lock a PDF with a password, remove a password you already know, strip printing and copying limits from your own files, and check exactly how any PDF is protected. All four jobs live on one page, so you do not have to look for a different website for each one.
Everything runs inside your browser. Your PDF and your passwords are never uploaded to a server, which is the biggest worry people have with online PDF tools. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no daily limit. Pick a tab, add your file and download the result in seconds.
Add a password so that only people who know it can open the file. The tool uses AES encryption, the same standard used by modern PDF software. Choose AES-256 for the strongest protection, or AES-128 if the file must open in an older reader. You can also limit printing, copying and editing.
Tired of typing the same password every time you open a file? If you know the password, enter it once and download a copy that opens without one. This is handy for personal documents that you keep on a device you trust.
Some PDFs open normally but will not let you print, copy text or edit. Those limits come from an owner password. For files that you own or are allowed to change, the Unlock tab removes the restrictions and gives you a clean copy.
Not sure whether a file is protected? Drop it in and see within seconds whether it is encrypted, which method it uses (AES-256, AES-128 or RC4), whether a password is needed to open it and which actions it allows.
Looking for something else? Browse all our free PDF tools, reduce file size with the PDF Compressor and Optimizer, or combine and split files with the PDF Merge and Split Tool.
A PDF can have two kinds of passwords. The user password, also called the open password, is requested whenever someone opens the file. The owner password controls permissions such as printing, copying and editing. A file can use one of them, both or neither.
When you add restrictions with this tool, the owner password has to be different from the opening password. If the two were the same, anyone who could open the file would also be able to lift the limits. Leave the owner box empty and the tool creates a random owner password for you, which you should save.
Keep in mind that permission limits are respected by standards-compliant PDF software, but they are a deterrent rather than a lock. For anything truly sensitive, rely on an opening password.
AES-256 is the strongest option and is supported by current versions of the major PDF readers. It is the default here. AES-128 is a good choice when the person opening the file uses older software. RC4 is an outdated method with known weaknesses. This tool does not create RC4 files, but the encryption checker will tell you when a file you received still uses it.
It cannot recover a forgotten password. There is no guessing, cracking or bypassing. If you forget the opening password of a file protected with AES, nobody can open it for you, including us. Remove Password and Unlock PDF work only with the correct password or on files that open freely, and only on documents you own or have permission to change.
Also remember that rewriting a PDF can invalidate a digital signature. If your file is signed, protect or unlock it only when you can sign it again.
It depends on where the file is processed. Many online tools upload your document to their servers, which means a stranger handles both your file and your password. This tool works differently. It is built on qpdf, a well-known open-source PDF engine, compiled to WebAssembly so that it runs on your own device. Your file and your passwords stay in your browser memory and disappear when you close or refresh the page. You can confirm this in your browser network panel: no file data is sent anywhere.
Yes. Every tool on this page is 100% free. There is no registration, no watermark and no daily limit.
No. Encryption, decryption and checking all run inside your browser, so your document and your passwords stay on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.
Open the Protect PDF tab, upload your file, type a password twice and press Protect PDF. Then download the new file. Open it once to make sure the password works before you share it.
No. This tool removes a password only when you can enter the correct one. It does not guess, crack or bypass passwords. If you forgot the password, look for an unprotected copy of the file or ask the person who created it.
Use Remove Password when the PDF asks for a password to open and you know it. Use Unlock PDF when the file opens normally but blocks printing, copying or editing. Those blocks come from an owner password, and the Unlock tab removes them from files you are allowed to change.
Choose AES-256 whenever you can. It is the strongest option and works in current PDF readers. Pick AES-128 only if the person opening the file uses very old software.
No. Text, images and fonts stay exactly as they were. Only the encryption settings change. If the PDF carries a digital signature, rewriting the file can make that signature invalid, so protect or unlock a signed file only if you can sign it again.
Removing restrictions from a document you own, or one you have permission to change, is a normal task. Do not use it on files you are not entitled to modify. Rules differ between countries, so check your local requirements when in doubt.
Use the Check Encryption tab. It tells you whether the file is encrypted, whether a password is needed to open it, which method is used and which actions such as printing or copying are allowed.
Yes. It works in modern mobile browsers. Very large PDFs need more memory, so a computer is faster and more reliable for them.
Convert, edit and manage your PDF files for free, right in your browser.