Password Protect PDF Files
Add PDF password protection with Adobe Acrobat online services. To view your PDF file content, people will need to first enter the document open password.
Restrict unauthorised access
When you create a password-protected PDF, you control file access. Acrobat also lets you know if your password strength is weak, medium or strong.
Password security you can trust
As the inventor of the PDF file format, Adobe delivers trusted document security. Secure your file with confidence from any browser on Mac or Windows.
How to add password protection to a PDF
Follow these easy steps to protect your PDF with a password:
Click the Select a file button above, or drag and drop a PDF into the drop zone.
Enter a password, then retype it to confirm the password.
Click Set password.
Sign in to download or share your protected PDF.
How do I choose a strong password?
How do I choose a strong password?
To create a strong password, increase the length of the password and add a mix of letters (both upper and lower case) and numbers. The addition of symbols can also increase password strength. When you enter passwords, avoid using personal information or common words found in a dictionary that can be guessed more easily.
What is the difference between password protection and encryption?
What is the difference between password protection and encryption?
When you protect documents with a password, people who enter the correct password can access the file or folder. A stronger security method is encryption, with common types being 128-bit key or 256-bit AES encryption. Encryption turns document content into unreadable cipher text. To decrypt the document, authorised users need a key, which is typically a password or a digital certificate.
When you use the Acrobat online tool to add password protection to a PDF file, it encrypts the file for added security. If you need more advanced PDF security, you can try Adobe Acrobat Pro DC for free for seven days to add encryption options, encrypt with certificates or manage security settings to restrict editing, printing or copying. Acrobat Pro also lets you edit PDFs, organise PDF pages and convert PDFs to and from Microsoft Office 365 files, including Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets.
Work wherever you are
Adobe Acrobat online services let you protect, combine, convert and sign PDFs from anywhere.
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