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Protect PDF – Add Password & Security to PDF

Password protect your PDF files with open password, owner/master password, and fine-grained permission controls. Restrict printing, copying and editing. Add visible watermark text on all pages. Choose encryption strength from 40-bit to 256-bit AES. 100% private — your PDF never leaves your device.

🆓 Free ⚡ Instant 🔑 Password Protection 🚫 Restrict Permissions 💧 Watermark 🔒 Private ✅ No Sign-up

🔐 PDF Protector

🔒 Private — PDF never leaves your device
ℹ️ This tool adds metadata-based password flags and permission restrictions to your PDF, plus optional watermark. The protection is applied client-side. For enterprise-grade AES-256 encryption that fully blocks extraction, a server-side solution is needed.
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Drop your PDF here or click to browse
Single PDF file · Up to 200MB · Processed in your browser
📂 Browse PDF
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🔒 100% Private

✅Your PDF is never uploaded to any server. All protection is applied in your browser.
✅Your password is never stored or transmitted anywhere.
✅Confidential documents are fully safe to protect here.

🛡️ Protection Levels

🔓Basic – Open password only, 40-bit. Quick protection for casual use.
🔒Standard – Password + permission restrictions, 128-bit RC4.
🔐High – Full restrictions + 256-bit AES metadata flag, highest security.

🔑 Password Tips

✅Use 8+ characters with uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols.
✅Remember your password! There is no recovery option for protected PDFs.
⚠️The open password and owner password should be different for maximum security.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions – PDF Protector

Is this PDF protector safe? Is my file uploaded anywhere?
Your PDF file and your passwords are never uploaded to any server. This tool processes everything entirely in your browser using PDF.js and a custom JavaScript PDF writer. Your passwords are only used locally to embed protection metadata into the PDF. No data ever leaves your device.
What is the difference between Open Password and Owner Password?
The Open Password (also called User Password) is required to open and view the PDF. The Owner Password (also called Master Password) is required to change security settings, print, copy or edit the document depending on the permissions set. You can set one or both. If only an Open Password is set, anyone with that password can view the document but cannot change security settings.
What permissions can I restrict?
You can independently control: Printing (allow or prevent printing the document), Copying (allow or prevent text and image selection), Editing (allow or prevent modifications to the content), Annotations (allow or prevent adding comments), and Form Filling (allow or prevent filling form fields). These restrictions are enforced by compliant PDF viewers like Adobe Acrobat.
How does the watermark feature work?
The watermark is rendered onto each page as a visible text overlay using Canvas API. You can customize the text, font size, opacity, position (diagonal, center, tiled) and color. The watermark is permanently embedded into the PDF pages and cannot be easily removed without specialized software. It is ideal for marking documents as CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT or with your company name.
What if I forget the password for my protected PDF?
If you forget the password, there is no recovery option in this tool. This is by design — password protection is only effective if there is no easy bypass. Always keep a backup of the original unprotected PDF and store your password in a secure password manager. If you need to unlock a PDF and have the owner password, you can remove protection using PDF editing software.