To password protect a PDF, you can follow these general steps, either using Adobe Acrobat or free online tools:
Using Adobe Acrobat
- Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
- Go to All tools > Protect a PDF > Protect with password.
- In the dialog box, choose whether the password will be required to view or edit the PDF.
- Enter and confirm a password (at least six characters; password strength will be indicated).
- Select Apply. Acrobat will confirm the file is password protected.
- You can also restrict printing, editing, or copying by setting a permissions password.
- Save the PDF. Users will need the password to open or modify the file depending on your settings
Using Online Tools (e.g., Smallpdf, iLovePDF)
- Go to a PDF password protection website like Smallpdf or iLovePDF.
- Upload or drag and drop your PDF file.
- Enter and confirm a strong password (recommended: at least 7 characters with numbers, capitals, and symbols).
- Click to protect/encrypt the PDF.
- Download the password-protected PDF.
- These tools use strong AES 128-bit encryption to secure your file
Additional Tips
- Passwords must be remembered; if lost, you cannot recover the PDF password.
- Choose compatibility settings in Acrobat to ensure the recipient’s PDF reader can open the file.
- You can set two types of passwords: one to open the document and another to restrict permissions like editing or printing
This process secures your PDF so that only users with the password can open or modify it.
