PDFs are the standard for sharing final documents, but sometimes they contain sensitive information—financial data, personal details, or confidential business plans. In these cases, you need an extra layer of security. Password-protecting your PDF is the easiest way to ensure that only authorized people can view its contents.
This guide explains why you should password-protect a PDF and how to do it for free using online tools.
Why Password-Protect a PDF?
- Confidentiality: It's the most basic way to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
- Access Control: Ensures that only the intended recipient, who has the password, can open the file.
- Peace of Mind: When emailing a document with personal data, adding a password provides a crucial layer of security in case the email is intercepted or sent to the wrong person.
How to Add a Password to a PDF Online
Adding a password requires encrypting the file, which is a specialized task. While Docento.app is designed for editing and signing, you can use other free online services to add a password before you make your final annotations.
Here's the general process:
- Find a "Protect PDF" Tool: Search for a free "password protect PDF" tool online. Many of the services from our top PDF editors list offer this feature.
- Upload Your PDF: Select the PDF document you want to encrypt.
- Set a Password: You will be prompted to enter and confirm a password. Choose a strong password that is difficult to guess. It's also critical that you store this password somewhere safe—if you forget it, you will not be able to open the file again.
- Encrypt and Download: The tool will encrypt your file with the password and provide a link to download the new, protected PDF.
Important Security Note: When you send the protected PDF to someone, be sure to share the password through a separate, secure channel. For example, send the PDF via email and send the password via a text message or a different messaging app.
Working with Protected PDFs
Once a PDF is password-protected, anyone who wants to open it—including you—will need to enter the password. If you need to make edits to a protected file, you'll first have to unlock it. Some online tools also offer a "Unlock PDF" feature, which requires you to enter the correct password to remove the encryption.
After unlocking and making your edits in Docento.app, you can re-apply the password protection using the same method before sharing the final version.