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Encrypt PDF

Password-protect PDFs with strong encryption.

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Step-by-Step Guide

How to use Encrypt PDF

1

Upload your PDF

1/5

Select the PDF you want to encrypt.

2

Set the open password

2/5

Enter a strong password that will be required to open the document.

3

Set permissions (optional)

3/5

Optionally restrict printing, copying, or editing with a separate permissions password.

4

Encrypt

4/5

Click "Encrypt PDF". The document is encrypted using AES-256.

5

Download the encrypted PDF

5/5

Save and distribute the protected file.

Best Practices

Pro Tips

Tip 1

Use a strong password of at least 12 characters with mixed case, numbers, and special characters.

Tip 2

Record your password securely — there is no way to recover a forgotten PDF password without specialist tools.

Tip 3

Do not use the same password for both user and owner passwords if you want to enforce permissions properly.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

PDFolio applies AES-256 encryption, which is the strongest encryption level defined in the PDF specification (Security Handler Revision 6, used in PDF 1.7 and later).

Yes. Use the Remove Password tool in PDFolio to decrypt the document when you have the correct password.

Yes. The entire encryption process, including password handling, happens locally in your browser. No data is sent to any server.

There is no password recovery. Password-protected PDFs cannot be opened without the correct password (or specialised brute-force tools). Keep your password in a secure password manager.