Key takeaways
- Protect PDF locks a PDF with AES-256 password encryption, and it works in your browser.
- You type the password twice, so a typing mistake does not lock you out.
- A strong, unique password matters more than anything else. Share it by a different route than the file.
- Toolkitties never receives your password, so it cannot recover a forgotten one.
When a PDF should have a password
Email and messaging apps pass files through many systems, and files are easy to forward by mistake. A password makes sure that only people who know it can open the document. It is a good idea for contracts, payslips, bank statements, medical papers and anything with ID numbers.
Protect a PDF in four steps
- Open Protect PDF and add your file.
- Type a password, then type it again to confirm. If the two do not match, the tool tells you.
- Press the button to protect the file.
- Download the new protected PDF and open it once to confirm that it asks for the password.
Choose a password that is hard to guess
- Make it long. Sixteen characters or more is a good habit for important files.
- Make it unique. Do not reuse a password from your email or bank.
- Avoid names, birthdays and simple patterns.
- Use the Password Generator to make a random one, and keep it in a password manager.
What a password does and does not do
The password stops people from opening the file without it. Anyone who knows the password can open the PDF, copy it and forward it. A weak password can be guessed. And if you forget the password, nobody can recover it for you, including us, because the password and the file never leave your browser.
If you later need to remove the password from a file that you own and whose password you know, use Unlock PDF. The steps and limits are in How to remove a password from a PDF.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of encryption does Protect PDF use?
It locks the PDF with AES-256 password encryption.
Can I recover a password I forgot?
No. Toolkitties never sees your password or your file, so there is nothing to recover.
Will the protected PDF open in normal PDF readers?
Most modern PDF readers can open password-protected PDFs and will ask for the password.
Is my password or file uploaded?
No. The protection is applied in your browser.
Is my original file changed?
No. You download a new protected file and the original stays as it was.