Protect PDF
Encrypt your PDF with a password using AES-256 — the same strength banks and governments use.
- Encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3)
- Files auto-deleted in 60 minutes
- Requires free plan
Run Protect PDF
About Protect PDF
When the document matters — a contract, a tax return, a patient record — a password is the minimum. Protect PDF encrypts your file with AES-256 so anyone without the password literally cannot read the contents.
Optionally set a separate "owner password" to control printing, copying and editing — useful when you want people to read the document but not redistribute its content.
How Protect PDF works
Three steps. Done in seconds.
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1
Upload your PDF
Any PDF, up to your plan's file cap.
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2
Set the password(s)
User password (required) to open. Owner password (optional) to control editing and printing.
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3
Download the encrypted PDF
AES-256 encrypted, opens in every modern PDF viewer with the correct password.
Why Protect PDF on Pixenith
Built for serious work. Free for everyday use.
Privacy first
Encrypted in transit, processed in isolated workers, deleted within 60 minutes.
Lightning fast
Most jobs finish in under 5 seconds. Heavy ones run on dedicated worker pools.
Production engine
Powered by pikepdf, Ghostscript, Tesseract OCR, ONNX models — the same tech the pros use.
Free, no signup
Generous daily limits on the free plan. Upgrade only if you need bigger files.
Related PDF tools
Often used alongside Protect PDF.
- Unlock PDF Remove a known password from a PDF.
- Sign PDF Digitally sign a PDF with a PKCS#12 certificate.
- Redact PDF Cover text matching a regex pattern with opaque rectangles.
- Add watermark Stamp a text watermark across every page.
- PDF to PDF/A Convert PDF to the archival PDF/A standard.
- Compress PDF Reduce PDF file size. Pick a preset (low / medium / high) or specify a target size (e.g. 200 KB or 2 MB) and we'll binary-search the quality ladder for the best-quality output that fits.
Protect PDF — frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know.
How strong is AES-256?
Industry-standard. The same encryption banks, governments and military use. Not breakable with brute force in any reasonable time — as long as you pick a good password.
What's the difference between user and owner password?
User password is required to open the document. Owner password controls what readers can do (print, copy, edit). If you only set a user password, the owner gets the same permissions automatically.
Do you store my password?
Never. The password is used only to encrypt your file then immediately discarded. We can't recover a forgotten password.
Will the encrypted PDF open in any viewer?
Yes — AES-256 with PDF revision 6 is universally supported by Acrobat, Preview, Chrome, Firefox, and every major mobile PDF reader.
Can I remove the password later?
Yes, using our Unlock PDF tool — as long as you know the password. Without it, the file is unrecoverable.