How to Protect A PDF with Password Using Acrobat?

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  • Published on
    July 1st, 2010
  • Updated on
    March 16, 2022
  • Read Time
    5 minutes
Summary: PDF documents are secured documents that are used to share various types of information. Neither PDF files are editable nor you can change a single piece of information in it. But in order to protect these files, many people apply passwords to them. The reason for protecting PDF files is that the PDF file can be restricted to unauthorized users who want to access the data without the user’s permission. So here you can explore the various techniques that will help you to protect a PDF with password for free to make your data safe from intruders. Either you can use Adobe Acrobat to apply a password to the PDF or go to the PDF file settings and set a password.

Ways to Password Protect a PDF File

There are multiple ways to apply a password to a PDF file and you are free to choose any method at your convenience.

Apply PDF Password using Adobe Acrobat

  • Download & launch Acrobat over your machine.
  • Now select and open the PDF file which you want to make a password-protected
  • Select the file option from the Acrobat window and go to Properties.
  • In the Document Properties window choose the security tab.
  • From the Security Method drop-down list, pick Password Security. Password Protect A PDF
  • Now from the window, checkbox the option required a password to open the document. protect a PDF
  • Type a password in the Document Open Password field and click OK.
  • You will be asked to type the password again and then click OK to save the PDF file.

By opting for the above-discussed procedure you will be able to add a password to your existing PDF file. Now you always have to enter the right password security key to open the PDF document. Doing this will keep your PDF data safe and secure from illegal actions.

But if your PDF file is not healthy or inaccessible then it can’t be opened or viewed with Adobe Acrobat. So before launching the PDF file use the SysInfo PDF Repair tool to fix the corruption issues with the file. The software will recover the maximum possible PDF data from the damaged or inaccessible PDF document.

How to Protect A PDF with Password Without Adobe Acrobat?

As I earlier discussed that the PDF document can be opened & viewed on other platforms also. So it doesn’t always require Acrobat to open or secure the PDF file. There is another way to make your PDF file password protected i.e using Microsoft word application. You can easily secure your PDF file by opening it over Microsoft Word. So to do this follow the steps mentioned below:

  • Open the PDF document with Microsoft Word.
  • From the File menu, choose the Save as button and browse the location where you want to save your PDF file.
  • Save as Dialog Box will appear, choose PDF (*.PDF) option from the Save as type drop-down box.
  • Pick the Options tab from the screen.
  • Check the box “Encrypt the document with a password” from the Options Window and click OK.
  • Now type the password twice to encrypt the PDF document and click OK to save the password.
  • Now again in the Save as dialog box, enter the PDF file name and click the Save button to save it in the desired location.

About Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Systems first developed a .pdf file extension known as Portable Document File. This file format not just contains text & images, but the PDF file format is a file with Images, Text, interactive buttons, hyperlinks, embedded fonts, video, and more. Mostly the PDF file extension is used to save ebooks, scanned documents, Manuals, etc. This file format doesn’t rely on the software, hardware, or operating system they are formed, they looked the same no matter on what machine they are opened.

Most PDF users prefer Adobe Acrobat to open, view & edit the PDF file. Adobe has developed the PDF standards and undoubtedly free PDF file viewer around here.

Acrobat offers many other features which may be not in use for many users. So users also use Chrome or Firefox web browser to open the PDF files. But Adobe Acrobat comes with one prominent feature which allows the user to secure PDF files by adding a password to the file. In which you have to enter a password or security key to open a PDF file on any platform.

Final Sentence

It is always recommended to apply a password to a PDF document before saving it to your computer. This is a good practice for PDF users as unauthorized users can not misuse the data inside the PDF file. But in the parallel world, it may also happen that the restriction you used to protect PDF files with passwords is now not with you or you forget it mistakenly. So at that time, you can use SysInfo PDF Protection Software to regain your PDF file password. So now you can protect your PDF data in all aspects.

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