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How to Password-Protect a PDF (Free, In Your Browser)

Sending something sensitive — a contract, an ID, a payslip? Encrypting the PDF with a password means only someone with that password can open it. DocuScan does this locally, so your document and password never touch a server.

Open the Protect tool

  1. 1. Open the Protect tool

    Go to Protect PDF and upload the file you want to secure.

  2. 2. Set a strong password

    Choose a password you can share with the recipient through a separate channel (not in the same email).

  3. 3. Encrypt and download

    Apply protection and download. The new PDF will prompt for the password in any viewer.

  4. 4. Need to remove it later?

    Use the Unlock PDF tool with the password to produce an unprotected copy of a file you own.

Tips

  • Never send the password in the same message as the file — text or tell it separately.
  • For consumer 'require a password to open' this is ideal; enforced permissions/AES-256 are on our roadmap.

Ready to try it?

Open the Protect tool
How to Password-Protect a PDF (Free, In Your Browser) | DocuScan