How it works
Choose a password, confirm it, then decide what the recipient may do once the file is open: print it, copy its text, edit it. The document is encrypted with AES-256, following the latest revision of the PDF standard (ISO 32000-2): without the password its content is unreadable, even to software that ignores the rules. Encryption runs in your browser with qpdf, a reference open-source tool, compiled to WebAssembly and served from this site. The password never leaves the page: it is neither sent nor stored, and nobody can recover it for you.
FAQ
What if I forget the password?
The protected file becomes unusable: the password is kept nowhere — not on a server (there isn't one), not in your browser. Keep the original somewhere safe, or store the password in a password manager.
Are the printing and copying restrictions unbreakable?
No, and no tool can honestly promise that. The open password genuinely encrypts the content. Permissions, on the other hand, are instructions: Acrobat, Preview and browsers honour them, but specialised software can ignore them once the file is open. They prevent accidental printing or copying; they won't stop a determined person who knows the password.
Will the protected PDF open everywhere?
AES-256 is supported by Adobe Acrobat and Reader since version 9, by Preview on Mac, by Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, and by most recent readers. Only very old software rejects it. Pick a long password: that, more than the algorithm, is what makes the protection strong.