PDF stands for Portable Document Format. This format is used to save files that anyone can not modify and can be easily shared and printed. Nowadays, everyone uses PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader on their devices.
PDF is a downloadable file format that works on all platforms. In this digital age, PDF has replaced many documents and digitized all the paperwork, making security all the more critical. Therefore, PDFs have password-protected encryption built directly into the format, whether using Windows or macOS.
Why Protect PDF Files With A Password?
Password protection is the basic level of PDF protection. This protection level does not prevent people from sharing their passwords or passing the document with a password on an online forum. Some people nullify password protection by sharing the document and the password in the same email.
The document’s tracking is impossible with the basic encryption level or anything you can do to prevent the recipient from copying or spreading the information elsewhere.
How To Password Protect A PDF File
You can add a password to PDF documents yourself, of course bearing in mind the limitations we have just outlined. Let’s look at the different methods to password protect your PDF.
Password Protect A PDF File By Using Microsoft Word
Many PDF files initialize as a Microsoft Word Document, so it is more sensible to encrypt them through Microsoft Word.
You need to follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Open the Word Document as a PDF.
- Go to File. Click on Save as and select the save option as PDF.
Select More Options which can be found underneath the file format box. Click on Options from the box that pops up.
Select Encrypt the Document with a Password Option. You will need to enter a Strong Password twice.
Now every time, a user opens the file, it will prompt for a password.
Password Protect A PDF File Using Adobe Acrobat DC
Protecting a PDF document with a password isn’t necessarily advanced security. For instance, Adobe Acrobat DC allows you to save specific tasks like editing or printing or a document with a password.
For Password protection of your documents, you need to follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Open the PDF document with Adobe Acrobat DC.
- Select a file, and click on Protect Using Password.
In the next dialog box, you need to choose what type of password protection you want to apply to the document. You need to select between Viewing or Editing—type in the password. You can choose any Advanced Options if desired. After finishing, you can click on Apply.
Password Protect A PDF File Using MacOS
The built-in Preview App in MacOs can’t open most of the image formats and documents. It also offers essential but necessary editing capabilities. It turns out that the same application can encrypt any PDF in just a few steps.
You need to use Finder to locate the file and open it with Preview. If Preview is your default app, you can open the file by Double-Clicking it.
Alternatively, you can also use the LaunchPad, Locate and open Preview, and then locate and open the targeted PDF.
Once the PDF is open, Select the file before selecting Export from the drop-down menu.
On the Export window, Enter the Name of the document, select a Destination, and Check the box on the left side of Encrypt.
Enter the password Twice in the fields that are below the encrypted field.
Click on the Save button to complete. To ensure that it’s encrypted, open the encrypted PDF. If the encryption were successful, a password prompt would appear.
Is Password Protection An Ideal Solution?
Password Protection is a simple solution for privacy. You may have put a small barrier in place to view your documents, but you won’t know who has seen it or how many times it has been accessed.
The critical problem is that a password is not tied to the person’s identity viewing the file. There is a single password for the fill, and it can be passed on to others and the file. There is no way to revoke the file if you are using free encryption methods like Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat DC.
