Nothing is uploaded
The PDF is read, encrypted and written back inside your browser tab. No upload, no server processing, no watermark, and no file size limit.
Add an open password to a PDF in the browser.
Add an open password to a PDF in the browser.
Keep this password somewhere safe. Without it the file cannot be opened again.
Download result
PDF Head encrypts your document in the browser with qpdf, so the file you are protecting never leaves your device. Set an open password, confirm it, choose 256-bit or 128-bit strength, and download the protected copy.
The PDF is read, encrypted and written back inside your browser tab. No upload, no server processing, no watermark, and no file size limit.
Files are locked with 256-bit encryption unless you pick 128-bit in Advanced options, which older PDF readers need when they do not support the stronger standard.
Under Advanced options you can set a separate owner password that restricts printing and editing. Leave it empty and it simply matches your open password.
Choose the file on this page. A page preview loads first, so you can confirm you have the right document before you encrypt it.
Type the open password twice; a mismatch is rejected. Show passwords reveals what you typed, and Advanced options holds the owner password and the strength.
Run the tool and download name-protected.pdf. Write the password down somewhere safe first: without it the file cannot be opened again.
256-bit is the default and the stronger of the two, so keep it. Drop to 128-bit only when an older program or device in your workflow cannot open the file otherwise.
There is no recovery. The encryption lives in the file itself, so a forgotten open password means a document nobody can open. Save it in a password manager before you download.
No. This tool has one owner password, which restricts printing and editing together, and no separate checkboxes for printing, copying or annotating. Per-permission control needs a desktop PDF editor.
The page renders a preview before it encrypts, and it cannot render a file that already has a password. Remove the existing password in Unlock PDF first, then protect it again. Unlock PDF
The open password is what someone types to read the document. The owner password governs printing and editing. Leave the owner field blank and it defaults to your open password.
Attach the protected file as you normally would, then pass the password along a different channel. A call or a message keeps it out of the same email thread as the attachment.
No. The encryption runs in your browser tab and the app has no upload path at all, so both the PDF and the password stay on your own device.
Try this tool with a sample, or upgrade to use your own files.
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