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How to put a password on a PDF, or take one off

A password is the simplest way to stop a PDF being read by the wrong person, and the most common reason a PDF will not open in a tool. Here is how both ends work: adding a password before you share a file, and removing one you already know.

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Two kinds of PDF protection

An open password (also called a user password) is asked for before the PDF opens at all. Without it the contents cannot be read, because the file is encrypted.

Restrictions (set with an owner password) are different. The PDF opens freely, but the creator has asked programs to block printing, copying text or editing. Most programs honour that, but it is a request rather than a lock.

Adding a password

  1. Add the PDF to Protect PDF and type a password twice.
  2. Choose whether people who open it may print, copy text or edit it.
  3. Download the locked copy and test it by opening it once and typing the password.
  4. Send the password through a different channel from the file.

Choosing a password you will keep

Use a phrase of three or four unrelated words, or a long string from a password manager. Length beats cleverness, and a short word with a number on the end is guessed quickly.

A PDF password cannot be reset. If it is lost, the file is lost, so keep the original unprotected version somewhere safe, or save the password in a password manager.

Removing a password you know

  1. Add the locked PDF to Unlock PDF.
  2. Type its password. If the PDF opens freely but will not let you print or copy, leave the box empty.
  3. Download the unlocked copy. Every page is exactly as it was, because nothing is redrawn.

Why bank statements are locked, and what to do about it

Banks and insurers often lock a PDF with something only you know, such as your date of birth or the last digits of an account number. That protects the email, but the same lock stops other tools from reading the file. Unlock a copy first, then merge, compress or convert it, and keep the copy where only you can reach it.

What this does not do

  • It cannot open a file whose password you do not know. Nothing here guesses or breaks passwords.
  • Restrictions are not a substitute for a password: anyone who can open the file can try to remove them.
  • Both steps happen in your browser, so the file and the password are not uploaded anywhere.

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