PDF security
What does Protect PDF do?
Protect PDF applies a password and optional printing permission to one PDF in the browser. Visible pages and supported document content are kept. You set a password, confirm it, and choose whether printing is allowed. Password recovery is not available. Reader applications may enforce permissions differently, so keep an unprotected backup.
How to use Protect PDF
- 1Choose one PDF
Open Protect PDF and select a single file. Unlock it first if it is already encrypted and you are allowed to replace that protection.
- 2Set the password and printing permission
Enter a password and the password confirmation. They must match. Choose whether printing is allowed. There is no later recovery if the password is lost.
- 3Encrypt locally
The browser writes an AES-256 protected PDF. Visible pages and supported document content remain; opening the file later requires the password.
- 4Store the password yourself
Download the protected file and keep the password somewhere safe. PDF Smart Kit cannot retrieve it. Keep an unprotected backup if you still need an open copy.
Supported files and limits
- Output format: PDF
- Input: PDF
- Output options: password; password confirmation; printing permission
- one PDF per task; password recovery is not available
- Files stay on this device and are removed when you close the page.
One PDF is accepted per task. Password recovery is not available. Compatibility with readers that do not enforce permissions consistently is not guaranteed.
What the output keeps
- visible pages
- supported document content
Visible pages and supported document content are retained behind the new password.
What may change or be lost
- compatibility with readers that do not enforce permissions consistently
Some readers may not enforce permissions consistently. A lost password cannot be recovered by this site.
When not to use this tool
Do not use Protect PDF as a substitute for a managed rights system, DRM, or certificate-based encryption. It will not recover an old password, and it is the wrong tool if you actually need to remove protection — that is Unlock PDF.
If processing fails
An empty password or a confirmation mismatch is rejected. Encrypted files that cannot be opened in the browser must be unlocked first. If a reader ignores printing restrictions, that is a reader limitation, not a forgotten setting you can retrieve from the server.
Privacy boundary
The password and PDF are used in this browser for the active task. They are not sent to a PDF Smart Kit application server. Closing the page clears the password fields and the document from memory.
Testing evidence
A sample test record has not been published for this tool yet. Use the limits on this page as the current capability statement.