Protect PDF with Password

Encrypt a PDF with AES-256 so it can only be opened with your password. Everything happens in your browser — the document is never uploaded anywhere.

pdf-encrypt · runs locally
Drop a PDF here or click to browse. It stays on your device.

Password-protect a PDF without uploading it

Every well-known “protect PDF” site works the same way: you upload your document to their server, they encrypt it there, and you download the result — trusting that the unencrypted copy really gets deleted. For contracts, payslips, medical records and ID scans, that is a strange leap of faith. This tool does the encryption in your browser instead: the PDF is parsed, encrypted with AES-256 and re-saved locally, and the network tab stays empty the whole time.

How to encrypt your PDF

  1. Drop your PDF onto the panel (or click to browse).
  2. Choose the password readers will need to open it, and confirm it.
  3. Optionally set an owner password and adjust what readers may do — printing, copying, editing.
  4. Click Encrypt & download and share the protected copy.

Choose a password that carries its weight

AES-256 is only as strong as the password in front of it. Short or guessable passwords fall to modern cracking rigs regardless of the algorithm behind them, so use something long and generated — the Password Generator makes a strong one in a click. And if you later need a clean copy for yourself, the Remove PDF Password tool reverses the process with the password you set here. Both tools pair well with the Image Metadata Remover when the goal is sharing documents without oversharing.

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The file is read, encrypted and re-saved entirely in your browser with JavaScript — it never crosses the network. That matters more for PDFs than almost anything else, because the documents people password-protect are exactly the ones they least want on someone else's server.

How strong is the encryption?

AES-256 with the PDF standard security handler (V5) — the strongest encryption the PDF specification defines, and the same scheme Adobe Acrobat uses for its highest setting. With a good password, brute-forcing it is not practical.

What if I forget the password?

The document is unrecoverable — there is no backdoor, no reset, and we never see the password or the file. That is precisely what makes the encryption trustworthy, so store the password in a password manager before you share the file.

What's the difference between the open password and the owner password?

The open (user) password is required to view the document at all. The owner password grants full access and overrides the permission flags — someone opening with only the user password is held to whatever printing, copying and editing permissions you set.

Remove PDF Password

Unlock a password-protected PDF you own by entering its password. 100% local.

Open tool →

Image Metadata Remover

Strip EXIF metadata — GPS location, camera, timestamps — from photos before sharing.

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Image to Base64 Converter

Turn any image into a Base64 data URI with ready-to-paste HTML and CSS snippets.

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