PDF Tools · Security

PDF Password

Add a password to lock a PDF, or remove an existing password — entirely in your browser. No upload, no server, nothing stored.

PDF Password — Protect & Remove

Two tools in one. Lock PDFs before sharing, or unlock PDFs you own — entirely in your browser.

🔐
Add Password Protection
Encrypt a PDF so it cannot be opened without the correct password. Set a user password for opening and an optional owner password to control permissions.
🔓
Remove Existing Password
Supply the current open password and the tool decrypts the PDF, producing an unprotected version you can open, share, and print without entering a password every time.
⚙️
Permission Controls
When protecting, choose which operations to permit: printing, copying text, and document editing. Useful for sharing read-only documents while preventing copying.
💪
Password Strength Indicator
A live strength bar rates your password as Weak, Fair, Good, or Strong based on length, mixed case, numbers, and special characters.
🔒
100% Private
Your PDF and your password never leave your device. pdf-lib handles all encryption and decryption inside the browser — nothing is transmitted.
✍️
Text Quality Preserved
Unlike compressors, this tool only adds or removes encryption — page content, fonts, images, and hyperlinks are untouched.

How to Use

1
Choose a mode
Select Protect PDF to add a password, or Remove Password to decrypt a PDF you already have the password for.
2
Upload your PDF
Drag the PDF onto the upload area or click Choose PDF. For Remove mode, upload the password-protected PDF.
3
Enter password and settings
In Protect mode, enter and confirm a password, optionally set an owner password, and choose permission settings. In Remove mode, enter the current open password.
4
Download the result
Click Protect PDF or Remove Password. The output file is downloaded automatically as filename_protected.pdf or filename_unlocked.pdf.

Frequently Asked Questions

The user password (open password) is required just to open and view the PDF. The owner password (permissions password) is required to change the PDF's permission settings. A reader who has the user password but not the owner password can still open the file but cannot override the permission restrictions you set (printing, copying, editing).

No. This tool requires the correct password to decrypt the PDF. It does not perform brute-force or dictionary attacks. If you have forgotten the password, you need a dedicated password recovery tool.

pdf-lib uses 128-bit RC4 encryption (PDF 1.4 specification). This is the most widely compatible PDF encryption standard and is supported by every PDF reader. RC4 is considered legacy; for maximum security, use AES-256 via a dedicated offline tool or Acrobat. For everyday document protection, 128-bit RC4 is sufficient.

Permissions are a PDF standard feature and are respected by compliant readers (Adobe Acrobat, Preview, Chrome's built-in viewer). However, many third-party tools and some PDF readers ignore permission flags. Permissions are a deterrent, not a technical lock — anyone with the user password and a non-compliant reader could bypass them.

No. Your password is only used inside your browser to call the pdf-lib encryption or decryption function. It is never logged, stored, or transmitted. Once you close the tab, all data is gone.

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