Protect PDF
Add password protection to PDF files
What is Protect PDF?
Protect PDF is a free browser-based PDF tool from Farvixo that lets you add password protection to PDF files. It runs entirely on your own device using WebAssembly, so the document is never uploaded to a server. There is no sign-up, no watermark on the output and no cap on how many documents you process.
How to use Protect PDF
Drag your PDF into Protect PDF or click to browse. The file stays on your device — nothing is uploaded to a server.
Reorder, select page ranges and pick the output settings you need. Protect PDF shows a live preview so you can check the result before committing to it.
Download the new PDF straight away. No watermark, no page limit and no sign-up — run Protect PDF as often as you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
How strong is the encryption?
The PDF is encrypted with AES, the same family of cipher used for disk encryption. Its real-world strength depends almost entirely on your password — AES with a four-digit password is not meaningfully protected.
Is my password sent anywhere?
No. Encryption happens inside your browser, so both the document and the password stay on your device. A tool that uploaded your file to encrypt it would have seen the unencrypted document and the password together, which defeats the purpose.
What happens if I forget the password?
The document cannot be opened, by us or by anyone. There is no recovery mechanism and no back door — that is what encryption means. Store the password somewhere durable before you close the tab.
Can I stop people printing or copying from the PDF?
You can set permission flags for printing, copying and editing. Be realistic about what they achieve: permissions are honoured by well-behaved readers but are not enforced by encryption, so they discourage rather than prevent. Only the open password genuinely restricts access.
Will the protected PDF open on any device?
Yes. Password protection is part of the PDF specification, so any standard reader on any platform will prompt for the password and open the file.
Can I remove the password later?
Yes, provided you know it. Open the document with the password and save an unprotected copy. Keeping an unencrypted original somewhere safe is usually simpler than relying on that.
What you can use Protect PDF for
- Preparing a document for an email attachment or an upload form with a size limit
- Students and office workers who need one PDF change without buying a desktop editor
- Handling contracts, invoices or ID documents that should not be uploaded to a third-party server
- Cleaning up a scanned document before archiving or sharing it
Protect PDF at a glance
- Tool
- Protect PDF — PDF Tools
- Purpose
- Add password protection to PDF files
- Input
- A single file (PDF)
- Output
- PDF file (plus the chosen export format where the tool converts)
- Processing
- In your browser — files are never uploaded to a server
- Price
- Free, unlimited, no account required
- Limitations
- Bounded by your device's memory and CPU rather than a server quota; very large files may be slow on older hardware
Tips for better results
- Check the page count and orientation in the preview before you download — reordering afterwards means starting over.
- If a PDF refuses to open, it is usually password-protected; remove the password first, then re-run this tool.
- Very large PDFs are limited by your device memory, not by an upload cap. Splitting a 500-page file into parts is faster than processing it whole.
Common problems and how to fix them
The PDF will not load
The file is encrypted or was produced by a non-standard writer. Open it in a PDF reader, print it back to PDF, and try again.
Text comes out garbled or as boxes
The PDF has no embedded font or no text layer at all. A scanned page needs OCR first — use PDF OCR, then re-run this tool.
The browser tab becomes unresponsive
The document is larger than the available memory. Close other tabs, or split the PDF and process it in sections.
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