Password Protect a PDF or Remove Its Password
Add an open password to a PDF with standard AES-256 or AES-128 encryption, and choose whether it can be printed, copied or edited. The protected file opens in Acrobat, Preview, browsers and other PDF readers. You can also unlock a PDF you have the password for.
How PDF Password Protection Works
A PDF can carry two passwords, both defined by the PDF standard (ISO 32000):
- Open password (user password): needed to open the file. The text, images and other content are encrypted with a key that only this password unlocks.
- Owner password (permissions password): lets someone change or remove the restrictions on printing, copying and editing. If you don't set one, the open password does this as well.
To protect a PDF, choose the file, enter an open password twice and pick what people may do with it. You get a new PDF; the original on your device is unchanged.
AES-256 or AES-128?
| AES-256 | AES-128 | |
|---|---|---|
| PDF version | PDF 2.0 (security handler revision 6) | PDF 1.6 (revision 4) |
| Opens in | Acrobat and Reader X (2010) or later, and other current readers | Acrobat 7 (2005) or later, and nearly every reader |
| Passwords | Up to 127 bytes, any characters | Up to 32 plain ASCII characters |
| Password guessing | Slowed down by repeated hashing | Faster to attempt, so a strong password matters more |
Use AES-256 unless the file has to open in old software.
What Permissions Can and Can't Do
The print, copy, edit and comment settings are stored in the file as flags. Acrobat, Preview, browsers and most other readers grey out the matching commands. They aren't part of the encryption, though: a program that ignores the flags, or anyone with the owner password, can still do those things. Treat them as a polite request, and rely on the open password, and on who you share it with, for confidentiality.
Nothing stops someone who has the password from passing on the file and the password, or taking screenshots. Send the password separately from the file, for example by phone or text message when the file goes by email.
Removing a Password
On the "Remove a password" tab, upload a protected PDF and enter its open or owner password. You get a copy with no password and no restrictions. It works with PDFs protected by any common PDF software, not just this tool. Without a correct password the file can't be unlocked. The PDF password remover does the same job on its own page, with tips for when a password isn't accepted.
Files made with this tool before November 2026: earlier versions saved a file in their own format rather than a real encrypted PDF, so PDF readers can't open it. Upload such a file on the same tab with its password, plus the owner password if you set a different one, to get the original PDF back. Then protect it again to get a file that opens normally.
How Your File Is Handled
Encryption runs on Orbit2x's server, not in your browser, so the PDF and the password are uploaded over HTTPS. The upload is processed in memory and discarded when the request ends. The result is held in memory for you to download once, or for up to 10 minutes, then deleted. File contents, file names and passwords aren't written to disk or logged. If a document is too sensitive to upload anywhere, use the password feature of desktop software such as Acrobat, or a command-line tool such as qpdf, instead. See the privacy policy for the site's general data practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the protected PDF open in Adobe Acrobat and other readers?
Yes. The tool uses the standard PDF password protection that PDF readers support. AES-256 files need a reader from roughly the last decade, such as Acrobat or Reader X (2010) or later, current browsers' built-in viewers and current versions of macOS Preview. Choose AES-128 if the file has to open in something older.
Can you recover a forgotten password?
No. The password isn't stored anywhere, and the encryption is designed so the file can't be opened without it. Keep it in a password manager.
I turned off printing, but someone printed it. Why?
Permissions are instructions to the PDF reader, not part of the encryption. Acrobat and most other readers follow them, but some programs ignore them, and anyone who can open the file can remove them. Only the open password keeps people out of the content.
Can it remove a password I don't know?
No. Removing the password needs the open password or the owner password. The tool doesn't try to guess or bypass passwords.
How strong is the protection?
AES-256 itself isn't the weak point; the password is. AES-256 files use the PDF 2.0 method, which makes each password guess slow, but a short or common password can still be guessed by someone who has the file. A passphrase of four or more random words, or 12 or more random characters, is much safer.
Is my file stored?
The uploaded file is processed in the server's memory and isn't saved. The result is kept in memory until you download it, which you can do once, or for up to 10 minutes, then it's deleted.