Protect & Unlock PDF

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Add or remove a PDF password

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Drop a PDF here or click to choose

Up to 100 MB · processed locally, never uploaded

How to Password-Protect (or Unlock) a PDF

Pick a mode — Protect to add a password, or Unlock to remove one you know.
Add your PDF and type the password (and confirm it when protecting).
Click the button — your protected.pdf or unlocked.pdf downloads instantly.

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Real AES encryption

Protected files are encrypted with a password — readers like Acrobat & Preview will require it to open.

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100% private

Your password and PDF never leave your device — everything runs locally in your browser, nothing uploaded.

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Set permissions

Choose whether viewers can print, copy text or edit the document when you protect it.

About the Free PDF Password Tool

Need to password-protect a PDF before you email a tax return, a contract, medical records or a confidential report? Or do you have a PDF you own that keeps asking for a password you'd rather remove? This free tool does both — it adds strong password encryption to a PDF, or removes a password you legitimately know, right on your device.

In Protect mode, set a password and choose permissions — whether readers can print, copy text, or edit. The file is encrypted so that Adobe Acrobat, Apple Preview, Chrome and every standard reader will demand the password before opening it. In Unlock mode, enter the current password and download a clean copy with the protection removed, so you don't have to type it every time.

An important, honest note: this tool can only remove a password you already know — it cannot crack, guess, or bypass an unknown password, by design. That keeps it a legitimate privacy tool, not a hacking tool.

Unlike most "free" online password sites that upload your sensitive documents to a server, this tool runs 100% in your browser. Your password and PDF are never transmitted, stored, or seen by anyone — which is the whole point when the document is confidential. It works on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook with no install. Need a related step? Compress PDF before sending, or Sign & Fill PDF before locking it.

Protect & Unlock PDF FAQ

Is it safe to password-protect a PDF here? ▾

Yes — and it is the private choice. Your password and PDF never leave your device; encryption runs 100% in your browser with nothing uploaded, stored or seen by a server. That is the whole point when the document is confidential.

What encryption does the Protect mode use? ▾

It applies standard PDF password encryption so that Adobe Acrobat, Apple Preview, Chrome and other standard readers require the password before opening the file.

Can I remove a password from a PDF? ▾

Yes, if you know it. Switch to Unlock mode, enter the current password, and download a clean copy with the protection removed.

Can this tool crack or bypass an unknown password? ▾

No. By design it can only remove a password you legitimately know — it cannot guess, crack or bypass an unknown password. This keeps it a privacy tool, not a hacking tool.

Can I control whether people can print or copy the PDF? ▾

Yes. When protecting, you can choose whether viewers are allowed to print, copy text, or edit the document.

What happens if I forget the password I set? ▾

It cannot be recovered — that is what makes the encryption secure. Store the password somewhere safe, such as a password manager, before you share the file.

Does it work on iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac? ▾

Yes. It runs in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad and Android — no install needed.