Protecting PDF documents
PDFs often carry personal and commercial information: salaries, identity numbers, contract terms, medical details. Once a file is emailed or shared, you lose control over where it goes. Security tools let you limit who can open a document and make its status clear to anyone who does.
Password protection and encryption
Password Protect encrypts the whole document with AES-256, the strongest encryption standard defined for PDF and supported by all major readers. Without the password, the contents cannot be read. Because encryption runs in your browser, neither the file nor the password is sent to a server — which also means a lost password cannot be recovered.
Watermarks
A watermark stamps text such as CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT or a recipient's name diagonally across every page. It does not prevent access, but it signals how the document should be handled and discourages forwarding, since leaked copies carry the label.
Using them together
For sensitive documents, finalize the content first, add a watermark, and then apply a password. Share the password through a different channel from the file — for example, send the PDF by email and the password by text message.
Security habits
- Use a long passphrase rather than a short complex password.
- Store passwords in a password manager.
- Remove pages the recipient does not need before sharing.