Password protect a PDF on a PC to secure your information.

A woman uses a laptop PC to add password protection to a PDF file.

Add security to a PDF with Acrobat online, and control who can access and view your file.

Why password protect a PDF on your PC?

Your PDF documents might contain all sorts of information, including private or business information that you want to prevent from falling into the wrong hands. Password protection secures sensitive, private, or identifying information on your PDFs.

Fortunately, password protection is easy with Acrobat online services.

Benefits of password protecting a PDF on a PC.

When you need to secure your PDF file because it contains personal information or client notes, you can password protect it to control who has access. Password protection is essential for many documents, and you might even need to password protect your PDFs to comply with privacy laws such as HIPAA.

If you create a strong password (you can even try using a password generator), your files will be protected from hackers or other bad actors. A password can even just be a reminder for anyone that doesn’t need access to certain information. And Adobe Acrobat encrypts the PDF for an added level of protection. You can share your strong password with trusted parties in a separate message from the password-protected document, and they will be the only ones able to access your file.

Examples of PDF file types to secure with a password.

Adobe Acrobat online services offer a fast and secure way to keep your PDF files protected. Secure files with sensitive, important, or private information, including these types of PDFs:

How to password protect a PDF.

Easily add a layer of security to your PDF files. Follow these six steps to password protect PDFs on your PC.

A woman uses a laptop PC to add password protection to a PDF file.

  • Navigate to the password protection page.
  • Click the blue button labeled “Select a file” or drag and drop a PDF into the drop zone.
  • Create and enter a password.
  • Retype it to confirm the password.
  • Click Set Password.
  • Download your newly protected file or sign in to Acrobat online to share it.

Secure your files quickly and easily with the password protection feature. See what else you can do with Acrobat online services today.