Password Protect a PDF Online for Free
Lock a PDF with a password so only people you choose can open it.
Drag files here or click the button
Maximum file size: 100 MB
No account, no watermark. Your files are not stored on our servers after processing.
Some documents are meant for a specific reader and no one else - a salary letter, a signed contract, medical records, or financial statements you're sending by email. PDF Guru's password protect tool encrypts the file with a password you set, so the PDF can't be opened without it, even if the email or link ends up somewhere it shouldn't. It's a quick safeguard for anything that shouldn't be readable by whoever happens to intercept it.
You set the password yourself, and the encryption is applied in your browser before the file is offered for download, so PDF Guru never sees or stores your password or the unlocked contents. This makes it a practical step before sending sensitive attachments over email, uploading to a shared drive, or archiving files that contain personal or financial information you want kept private.
How to use Password Protect PDF online
- 1
Upload the PDF
Add the document you want to protect; the browser session supports files up to 100 MB.
- 2
Set a password
Type a password that's strong enough to resist guessing but memorable enough for the intended recipient to use.
- 3
Confirm the password
Re-enter it to make sure there are no typos, since a mistyped password would lock out the intended reader too.
- 4
Download the encrypted file
Save the password-protected PDF and share both the file and the password through separate channels.
When people use this tool
Sending financial statements by email
Encrypt bank statements or tax documents before emailing them, so the content stays private if the message is misdirected.
Sharing contracts with a single recipient
Lock a signed agreement with a password known only to the sender and the intended signer.
Protecting HR and payroll files
Add a password to salary letters or performance reviews before distributing them internally.
Archiving sensitive personal records
Store medical or legal PDFs with password protection so they aren't readable if the storage location is ever accessed by someone else.
What you get
Custom password encryption
Choose your own password rather than relying on a generated code you'd have to store separately.
Browser-based encryption
The password is applied locally in your browser session, so it isn't transmitted to or stored on a server.
Works with existing PDFs
Protect a document you already have without needing to recreate it or convert it from another format first.
No account needed
Encrypt a file immediately without registering, so there's no extra account holding a copy of your password.