How to Password Protect a PDF File to Secure Document?
PDFs are more likely to become a digital or business format, widely used for sharing sensitive information such as financial statements, legal contracts, payment records, etc. Here, the growing number of data attacks or breaches is shaping a grave concern for individuals and professionals. It certainly highlights the need to password protect a PDF file to ensure secure and hassle-free sharing of documents. Fortunately, this guide may help you understand the types of PDF protection and how to create a password protected PDF file to stop unauthorized accessibility of the data.
Can a PDF be Password Protected?
PDF documents are password protected to ensure data protection and control the actions like editing, printing, viewing, and text copying. It certainly convert PDF to locked PDF file, preventing the changes of data modification and unwanted access. Moreover, it is a vital feature for protecting document sensitivity.
Additionally, the purpose of creating a password protected PDF secure confidential documents like bank statements, contacts, agreements, invoices, etc. If sharing these PDFs passwordless can increase the chances of data loss and result in damage to the company’s reputation or credibility. Hence, it is recommended to password protect a PDF file to ensure trustworthiness, document confidentiality, and access control. Now, let’s move to understand the types of protection.
What is PDF Password Protection?
PDF password protection is mainly used to safeguard sensitive documents from violation. Many industries or professionals like business corporations, healthcare, government, etc, utilize these protections to stop unauthorized actions. Here are the common types of PDF password protection for ensuring document security:
- Open PDF Password (User Level Password):- This type of protection needs a correct passkey to access the document. In the absence of a password, you can’t open or view the content; it ensures that viewers with legitimate passwords can open the document without making any further changes.
- Owner Level Restriction:- Despite password protection, creators can impose necessary restrictions or prohibitions like editing, text copying, commenting, printing, and annotations. In this way, you can make PDF read only to ensure the document remains unchanged.
Overall, these protections help you to handle PDFs with access restrictions. Moreover, it benefits the document creators in many ways such as:
- Safeguard Content: PDF password protection meticulously protects the confidentiality of the document. In this way, the creator can share the data to legitimate users with data protection or security.
- Restrict Specific Actions: Document creators put specific prohibitions on PDFs. It includes restrictions like modifying, content copying, printing pages, and adding text to PDF documents.
- Meet with Data Protection Compliance: Organization which handles the confidential data needs to meet with data protection compliance such as GDPR or HIPAA. Here, using the types of password protect a PDF file enables users to secure data.
Overall, PDF password protection is considered a crucial tactic to safeguard secret information. Now, let’s move on to understand how to protect a PDF file with password to prevent data modification.
Guide for How to Password Protect a PDF file Without Acrobat
- Run SysTools PDF Lock Software on your Win OS.
- From “Add Files” or “Add Folders” > choose any.
- “Change” feature to browse the location of file > Next.
- In the Apply Document Open Password > Create password.
- After this confirm the passkey > press the Lock icon.
How to Password Protect a PDF File – 4 Easy Ways
Sharing sensitive documents passwordless carries the potential risk of data tampering and damage to an organization’s reputation. Here, learning the methods of how do you password protect a PDF file, ensure data protection, and grow credibility. Additionally, it facilitates users to share confidential documents with legitimate users with protection.
Here are the ways how to create a password protected PDF file:
1. Make password protected PDF file with Word
2. Online PDF password protection software
3. Adobe Acrobat to secure PDF with a password
4. SysTools PDF password protector tool
Now, let’s understand these methods in detail.
How to Protect a PDF File with Password With Office Word
Wondering how to create a password protected PDF file, consider Office products like Microsoft Word. It is a simple and handy way to allow password security on PDF documents. Here, it is important to understand that this is not a standalone or dedicated solution for imposing password protection on any sensitive document. Here are the steps for how to password protect a PDF file using Microsoft Word:
- Open the required PDF > Open With > Word.
- Under Review > pick Restrict Editing.
- Tab “Allow only this type of editing in the document” > pick No security.
- After this, add Password > tab Yes, start enforcing protection.
- Lastly, go to File and then, Save As > PDF file.
Looks simple! Unfortunately, it is not an ideal way to protect the content of PDF files. Here are the other limitations of this method.
How to Password Protect a PDF File With Online Tools
Microsoft Word certainly fails when protecting the PDF document. Instead, online password-protected PDF tools such as iLovePDF, Smallpdf, etc. These services are comparatively compatible and completely free. Using these tools, you can add complex passwords and secure your document from any digital vulnerabilities. Here is the stepwise guide for how to protect a PDF file with password:
- On your PC, search for any of these online services.
- “Add Files” > add the document from the computer.
- In the display bar, set the strong passkey > Protect PDF.
- Lastly, tab on download protected PDFs.
Online tools add convenience in protecting sensitive documents with a passkey. However, there are major limitations behind using these services to create password protected PDF file. Now, let’s take a look below.
How to Create a Password Protected PDF File Using Adobe Acrobat
If you’re seeking for how to protect a PDF file with password, consider Adobe Acrobat, one of the standalone software for protecting documents. This amazing tool is capable of creating strong password restrictions on PDFs. Additionally, you can enable owner-level permissions like editing, content copying, and printing of pages. In this way, you can handle documents with protection. Here are the steps to follow for protecting PDFs with a password using Acrobat:
- Install the Adobe Acrobat on your Win & Mac operating system.
- Find Properties and look for Security > enable Password Security.
- After this, create a complex password > enter OK.
- Now, download the password protected document.
How to Password Protect a PDF File – Try SysTools PDF Password Protector
Searching for how to password protect a PDF file without Acrobat, consider the SysTools PDF Password Protector tool. It is the best all-in-one and powerful software solution that supports all kinds of PDF protection including password and owner restriction. It leverages the document creator to create a strong and complex passkey to secure the document. Additionally, you can add document permissions like editing, copying, and printing to control access.
Some of the prime features of this robust tool include secure document integrity and compliance with data protection standards. Here are the other highlights of this pro software:
- Supports advanced PDF password protection.
- Allows you to add PDF encryption like 256-AES.
- Capable of perverse all the PDF formatting.
- It is a work-saving and tested software solution.
Guide for How to Protect a PDF File With Password
- Install the SysTools PDF password protector tool.
- Go to “Add Files” or “Add Folders” to browse files.
- Under Change > choose the location of file > Next.
- Find “Apply Document Open Password” > Enter Password.
- After this, confirm the passkey > tab Lock button.
Wrap Up!
In this guide, we have shared 4 ways to password protect a PDF file. By following these methods, you can secure the document with a strong password, preventing unauthorized access. Here, we recommend you choose the SysTools PDF file password protector tool for protecting the document with a password in batch mode. It is secure and highly reviewed software for handling PDFs with protection.