You do not need Adobe Acrobat Pro or any paid software to add a password to a PDF. Here is how to do it for free, directly in your browser.
Visit the protect tool in any browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge — on desktop or mobile.
Upload your PDF, type a strong password, and click Protect PDF. The file is encrypted with RC4-128 in seconds.
Tip: Never share the password in the same message or email as the PDF file. Send them via separate channels for security.
Download the encrypted PDF. Anyone who receives it will need the password to open it in any PDF viewer.
Yes. pdfeditor.onl works in Safari on macOS without any installation. Alternatively, macOS Preview can password protect PDFs via File > Export as PDF.
Yes. pdfeditor.onl works fully in Safari on iOS. Upload your PDF, set the password, and download the protected file.
There is no recovery method for PDF passwords. Always store your password in a password manager before protecting the file.