ive How to password-protect a PDF
Three ways to put a password on a PDF with tools you probably already have, what that password does and doesn't protect, and how to send the PDF so only the right person can open it, with a password you can still change after it has gone.
Lock a PDF on a Mac, in Acrobat or from Word, or send it with a password you can change later.
Three ways to put a password on the PDF itself
Preview
Open the PDF in Preview and choose File › Export. Under Permissions, require a password to open the document, set it, and save. Free, and already on every Mac.
Adobe Acrobat
In the paid Acrobat, open the PDF and choose to protect it with a password, then pick "Require a password to open". The free Acrobat Reader can open protected PDFs but can't add a password.
Saving from Word
If the document starts in Word for Windows, choose Save As, pick PDF, open Options and tick "Encrypt the document with a password". The PDF is locked from the moment it's made.
What a PDF password doesn't do
It can't be taken back
Once the PDF and its password are out, anyone holding both can open it, forward it and keep it. There is no switching it off later.
It doesn't tell you anything
You won't know whether it was opened, by whom, or when. If it matters that it arrived, a locked file on its own can't show it.
It's only as strong as the password
A short or guessable password can be cracked offline, given time. Use a long one, and never send it in the same email as the file.
Put the password on the delivery
With Ive Sent It Pro, the password goes on the send itself. Your recipient needs it to open the delivery page, and the PDF arrives inside an AES-256 encrypted zip that the same password opens. Because the password belongs to the send, not the file, it stays yours after it has gone.
Send your PDFs with Ive Sent It
Start your Pro trial
Free to try, cancel any time. Passwords, country locks and proof of delivery switch on straight away.
Add the PDF and a password
Drop the PDF in, type who it's for, and set the password. Add an expiry or a country lock if you want one.
Share the password another way
They get the link by email. Text or tell them the password separately, so the two never travel together.
Passwords on every send, GeoWall™ country locks, view-once, proof of delivery, branding and 3 TB per file. Or $12 monthly.
Try Pro free for 3 daysNothing is charged until the trial ends. Cancel any time. See every plan. On Team, each recipient's copy of a PDF can also carry their name as a watermark, so a leaked copy points back to its source.
Questions people ask
Can I password-protect a PDF for free?
Yes. Preview on a Mac does it for free, and so does Word for Windows when you save as PDF. Free online tools work too, but you upload the document to their server first.
How should I share the password?
By a different route from the file: a text, a call, or a message app. If the email with the file is ever forwarded or read by the wrong person, the password isn't in it.
What does my recipient need?
No account and nothing to install. They open the link, enter the password, and download an encrypted zip with the PDF inside; the same password opens the zip.
Is a password on the delivery better than one on the PDF?
They protect different things. A password on the PDF travels with the file for ever. A password on the delivery can be changed or switched off, and tells you when it was opened. For a confidential file, you can use both.
What happens after the trial?
Pro starts when the trial ends unless you cancel, and you can cancel any time in two clicks. One trial per customer.