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Protect a PDF with a password

Lock a PDF with a password. Free, no account, and the file never leaves your device.

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How it works

  1. Choose a PDF (up to 100 MB), or a JPG, PNG or WebP picture to lock as a one-page PDF.
  2. Type a password and confirm it.
  3. Tick what people may do with the PDF once it is open: print, copy, edit.
  4. Choose Protect PDF, then download the locked copy and open it once to check the password.

What it is good for

Sending a contract, ID scan, payslip or medical letter by email or chat when you want only the person who knows the password to read it.

Supported files and limits

Files: PDF files up to 100 MB. JPG, PNG and WebP pictures are turned into a one-page PDF first. Word .docx files have their own page, Protect Word Document. Other Word and Excel files must be converted to PDF before they can be protected.

  • If you forget the password, the PDF cannot be opened. PDFScanner never sees the password and cannot recover it.
  • Printing, copying and editing limits are requests that PDF apps honour; they are not a lock. The password is what keeps the file private. Anyone you share it with can read the file.
  • PDFs that already have a password or restrictions are not changed. Remove those first.
  • Choose a password that is not easy to guess, and send it separately from the file. Plain letters and numbers work in every PDF app; some apps handle other characters differently.

Your files and privacy

Your file is processed in your browser, on your own device. It is not uploaded to PDFScanner's servers. PDFScanner counts basic usage, such as which tool was opened, but never sees what is inside your document.

Questions and answers

How do I password protect a PDF for free?
Choose your PDF, enter a password twice, and choose Protect PDF. Then download the locked copy. It is free and needs no account.
Is my PDF or password uploaded?
No. The PDF is locked by code running in your browser, so neither the file nor the password is sent to PDFScanner. Only your browser downloads the small program that does the locking.
How strong is the protection?
The PDF is encrypted with AES-256, the strongest standard PDF encryption. Its strength then depends mostly on your password, so pick a long one.
Can I protect a Word document or a picture?
A picture (JPG, PNG or WebP) is turned into a one-page PDF and protected. A Word .docx file can be password protected as a Word document with the Protect Word Document tool. Excel files have to be converted to PDF first.
Can I recover a forgotten password?
No. Nobody, including PDFScanner, can open the file without it.

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