Don't allow critical information to slip into the wrong hands. These methods encrypt crucial PDFs without using the complete Adobe Acrobat application, which costs hundreds of dollars.
You may need to email someone a PDF containing sensitive information, such as your tax information, bank information, Social Security number, or other data. Naturally, you don't want such information to get into the hands of the wrong people. If you password-protect your document, only the person who knows the password may open it.
Encrypting a Word Document may be the greatest solution for communicating with others, but transmitting essential documents requires a PDF. There are, however, certain issues here. Not only will you need to find out how to safely share the password, but Adobe Reader's free edition does not allow password protection.
You could get the whole Adobe Acrobat application, but that's an expensive option if you just need a password every now and again. Instead, you may add a password to your file for free using a number of third-party apps and internet sites.
Plans for Adobe Acrobat
Acrobat Pro DC costs $14.99 per month for an annual membership or $24.99 per month for a monthly subscription if you pay for Acrobat. Acrobat Standard DC is $12.99 per month for an annual membership and $22.99 for a monthly subscription. Both versions allow password protection, so you can save money by choosing the less expensive Standard plan.
If you only need a password for this one time or for the next few days, download a free seven-day trial of Acrobat Pro. The only condition here is that you provide your credit card information in order to get the free trial. If you don't cancel within seven days, you'll be charged $14.99 + tax for the whole month.
Safeguard Your Password
Launch Acrobat Pro after installing it and open the PDF you wish to secure. Select File > Protect Using Password, then specify whether you want the recipient to need a password to see or edit the document.
In most circumstances, you'll want to enable viewing passwords so that no one can open the file without the right credentials. Choose Viewing, then enter and reenter a strong password in the appropriate boxes. The application will assess the strength of your password; click Apply to save your changes.
Password security may be ineffective for some documents, such as editable forms. In some circumstances, you may see an error notice stating that the file could not be saved owing to a faulty parameter. The idea here is to make a backup copy of the file and then password secure it.
In Acrobat, go to File > Save a copy and name the copy anything other than the original. Open the file in Acrobat and try the password-protection option once more. After password-protecting the file, you should get a notice indicating that it was successfully secured.
Enter or Delete a Password
When someone opens the file with Adobe Viewer, Adobe Acrobat, or another PDF reader, they should be prompted to enter the password. Enter the password, then click OK to view the document's contents.
Open the file in Acrobat and input the password to delete the password. Under Security Settings, click Permission Details after clicking the lock icon on the left. Click the drop-down box for Security Method on the Document Properties Security tab and choose No Security. Acrobat will validate your decision to remove the security. Click OK, then save the file again.
PDFEncrypt
PDFEncrypt is a free, open-source alternative to Acrobat that provides a simple yet effective tool for password-protecting PDFs. The basic interface prompts you to select the file to encrypt. Then enter your password and press the Encrypt button. The encrypted word is appended to the end of the protected version's name. A Settings screen provides additional options, such as allowing printing, copying, and other actions.
PDF24 Creator
PDF24 Creator is another free PDF program that provides a slew of capabilities under one roof, allowing you to edit, combine, divide, convert, compress, protect, and unlock a PDF. Click the Protect PDF button from the main toolbox screen to encrypt a file. Drag the file into the screen, then enter a password and click the Protect PDF files button. The protected file can then be saved, preferably with a different name from the original.
PDF24 Tools
PDF24 Creator's creators also provide an online version known as PDF24 Tools, which includes a slew of PDF capabilities. Select Protect PDF, then navigate to or drag & drop the file to be protected. Enter the password and then click Protect PDF files, after which you may download and save the file. To open the PDF, a password must be supplied.
CleverPDF
CleverPDF is another website that offers a wide range of PDF solutions. Navigate to the Encrypt PDF page and choose or drag and drop the file you want to encrypt. To need a password to open this document, check the box. You may also use an owner password to limit editing, copying, and printing. To save the encrypted version to your computer, click the Start conversion button, then Download.
0 Comments