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How to protect or unlock a PDF
A password on a PDF keeps it from being opened by anyone who does not have the key — useful for contracts, payslips, medical records and anything else you would not want read by the wrong person. easyPDF can both add a password to protect a document and remove one you already know. This guide covers both.
Protect a PDF with a password
- Open the Protect PDF tool from the home page.
- Add the document you want to secure.
- Type a strong password. Use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols, and store it somewhere safe.
- Click Process and download the protected file. From now on, opening it will require the password.
Unlock a PDF you can already open
- Open the Unlock PDF tool.
- Add the protected document.
- Enter its current password — the one you already know.
- Click Process to produce a copy with the password removed, and download it.
Important: forgotten passwords
The unlock tool only works when you supply the correct password yourself. We cannot bypass, guess, reset or recover a password you have lost — that protection is exactly what stops other people doing so. If you no longer have the password, you will need to ask whoever created or sent you the document.
Tips
- Choose a memorable but strong password and keep it in a password manager.
- Removing a password makes a document easier to share but also easier for anyone to open — only do it when that is what you intend.
- Need to protect several files? Process them one at a time, or use easyPDF PRO for batch handling.
Is it safe?
The password you type is used only for that single operation and is discarded with the file afterwards. Uploads and results are encrypted in transit and deleted automatically — see the Security page for the full explanation.