Protect PDF
Add a password and permission controls to any PDF.
Lock a PDF with a user password so it can't be opened without it, or add owner restrictions that block printing, copying and editing while still allowing viewing.
How it works
Four calm steps.
- 01
Drop your file
Drag the PDF you want to protect onto the upload card, or click to pick it from your device. You can also paste a link to a file hosted online.
- 02
Set passwords and permissions
Choose an open password, an owner password, and tick which actions are allowed: print, copy, annotate, fill forms.
- 03
Let us do the work
Our engine encrypts the file with AES-256 in a few seconds. Nothing leaves the encrypted pipeline while it runs.
- 04
Download the result
Save the protected PDF to your device, share a temporary link, or send it straight to Google Drive or Dropbox. Files are wiped from our servers within one hour.
Why Protect PDF
Built to be the last protect pdf tool you try.
Modern encryption used by Adobe Acrobat and every mainstream PDF reader.
Allow viewing but block printing, or allow printing but block copy-paste – mix and match.
Uploads travel over TLS, files are encrypted at rest, and every trace is deleted within 60 minutes. We do not read, index, or train on your documents.
The free tier handles most day-to-day work. You only create an account if you want history, larger files, or batch automation.
FAQ
Questions people ask.
AES-256, which is the current PDF standard. A strong passphrase makes brute force impractical.
We can't recover it – the point of encryption is that only the passphrase unlocks it. Store it somewhere safe.
Yes. The free tier covers everyday use – you can protect several files per hour without an account. Pro unlocks larger uploads and batch jobs.
They live in an encrypted staging area for at most one hour, then they are permanently deleted. Nobody on our team can browse them.
No. Everything runs in your browser against our servers – Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android are all supported.
Yes. Granular permissions is free on the no-signup tier with no watermark added to your files. A paid plan only lifts batch and file-size limits for heavy users.
No. Granular permissions runs entirely in your browser - there is nothing to download and no account is required to get started.
Yes. Uploads travel over an encrypted connection, are processed in an isolated pipeline, and are permanently deleted from our servers within 60 minutes. We never read, index or train on your documents.
On the free tier Granular permissions accepts files up to 100 MB. Larger documents are supported on the paid plan, or you can split a big file first.
Yes - Granular permissions is fully responsive and works in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
Granular permissions uses strong encryption and processes everything over TLS; your file and any password never leave the secure pipeline and are wiped within the hour.