# How to Make a Password Protected PDF, and Open or Unlock One Later Canonical: https://filevale.com/guides/password-protected-pdf/ Updated: 2026-10-31 > Add a password to a PDF so only the right people can open it, or remove a password you know. Works in your browser on any device, nothing uploaded. A password protected PDF is a normal PDF that has been encrypted, so it asks for a password before anyone can open it. You can make one in your browser with [Password Protect PDF](/password-protect-pdf/), and if you already know the password, you can save a copy without it using [Unlock PDF](/unlock-pdf/). This guide covers both directions, plus what to do when you need to send the password or protect more than one file. ## Lock a PDF with a password [Open Password Protect PDF](https://filevale.com/password-protect-pdf/) 1. Open Password Protect PDF and choose your PDF: drop it on the page or click to browse. You can add several at once. 2. Type the new password. 3. Click **Protect**. The encryption happens on your device. 4. Download the protected PDF. The file is encrypted with AES-256. Without the password nobody can open it, so store the password somewhere safe before you delete any unprotected copy. Because the work happens in your browser, the PDF is not uploaded anywhere, which matters for contracts, payslips, medical records and ID scans. The tool is free with no watermarks. No sign-up is needed to download. ![Password Protect PDF in the Filevale iPhone app: lock a PDF with AES-256 encryption on the device.](https://filevale.com/assets/app/password-protect-pdf.webp) ## Open a password protected PDF You don't need a special app to open a protected PDF. Open it the way you normally would, in your browser, Preview on a Mac, the Files app on iPhone or any PDF reader, and it will ask for the password. Type it once and the document opens as usual. ![Unlock PDF in the Filevale iPhone app: enter the password once and save a copy without it.](https://filevale.com/assets/app/unlock-pdf.webp) ## Remove a password you know [Open Unlock PDF](https://filevale.com/unlock-pdf/) Typing the password every time gets tiring for a file you use often, and some tools and upload forms can't read encrypted PDFs at all. 1. Open Unlock PDF and choose the protected file. 2. Enter the password, then click **Unlock**. 3. Download the copy without the password. The password and restrictions are removed, and the text, fonts and links stay exactly as they were. Unlock PDF only works when you know the password: it can't break or guess an unknown one. If you have lost the password to your own file, the honest options are to find an unprotected original or ask the person who created it. ## Protect several files, or files that aren't PDFs If you need to send a PDF along with photos, spreadsheets or other documents, [Password-Protect ZIP](/zip-with-password/) packs any files into one ZIP encrypted with AES-256. Choose the files, enter the password and click **Encrypt**. The recipient can open it with the password in an app that supports AES ZIP, such as 7-Zip or WinRAR on Windows, The Unarchiver or Keka on a Mac, or Filevale's [Unzip](/unzip/) tool in any browser. ## Built-in options on Windows and Mac If you write the document in Microsoft Word, you can add a password when you save it as a PDF: choose PDF as the format, open **Options** and tick the setting to encrypt the document with a password. On a Mac, Preview can also add a password when you export a PDF. These work well if the file is already open in that app; the browser tool is handy when you are on a phone, a shared computer or a PDF you received from someone else. ## Tips for sharing a protected PDF - Send the password through a different channel than the file, for example the PDF by email and the password by text message or a phone call. - Use a long password. A short word or a date is much easier to guess than a phrase of several words. - Need to make the file smaller first? Compress before you protect. If the PDF is already locked, remove the password with Unlock PDF, run [Compress PDF](/compress-pdf/), then add the password back. Our guide on [compressing a PDF for email](/guides/compress-pdf-for-email/) explains when compression helps. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I recover a forgotten PDF password? Not with Filevale. Unlock PDF needs the correct password and can't break unknown passwords, and a PDF protected with AES-256 can't be opened without it. Keep the password in a password manager or another safe place. ### Is it safe to password protect a PDF online? Many online tools upload your file to their server to encrypt it. Filevale encrypts the PDF inside your browser, so the file and the password stay on your device. ### Does Password Protect PDF work on iPhone and Android? Yes. It works in any modern browser, including Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox, on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebook. There is nothing to install.