🆓 Free Online Tool

Protect PDF Online – Add Password Free

Keep your PDF documents secure before sharing. Folium's Protect PDF tool adds security metadata and marks your document as protected — processed entirely in your browser, with no file upload to any server. Note: for full AES-256 encryption, a desktop application is required, as browser security restrictions prevent generating fully encrypted PDFs.

✅ 100% Free 🔒 No Upload ⚡ Instant Results 📱 Works on Mobile 🚫 No Watermark
📂
Drop your file here
or click anywhere to browse your device
Set Password
Processing… 0%

Why Use ItBenefits of Protect PDF

🔒

Security Metadata

Marks the PDF with protection keywords and flags to signal restricted access.

Instant Processing

The file is processed and returned in seconds with no server round-trip.

🔒

Private Tool

Your PDF stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded to any third-party server.

💡

Honest Disclosure

We tell you exactly what the tool does — metadata-level protection, not AES encryption.

How It Works3 Simple Steps

1

Upload Your PDF

Drop your PDF or click Choose File to select it.

2

Enter a Password

Type a password to associate with the document's metadata.

3

Download Protected PDF

Click Protect PDF. Your file is saved with protection metadata. For full encryption, use Adobe Acrobat or LibreOffice.

When to Use ItCommon Use Cases

Mark Documents as Protected

Add visual and metadata indicators that a document is intended to be password-protected.

Pre-Encryption Prep

Prepare documents with consistent metadata before applying full encryption in a desktop tool.

Internal Distribution Control

Mark PDFs that should not be redistributed before sending to internal stakeholders.

Draft Protection

Protect draft documents from casual editing while noting they require review.

Privacy & SecurityYour Files Are Safe

🔒

No upload. No storage. No tracking.

This tool processes your PDF entirely in your browser. The file is never uploaded to any server. We apply protection metadata flags using pdf-lib and return the file to your device. Because true password encryption (AES-128/256) requires low-level cryptographic PDF operations that browsers cannot perform securely, we are transparent that this tool applies metadata-level protection only.

FAQFrequently Asked Questions

No. Browser security restrictions prevent client-side AES PDF encryption. This tool adds protection metadata. For true encryption, use Adobe Acrobat, LibreOffice, or similar desktop tools.
Yes. Metadata-level protection does not block file opening. It signals protected status to viewers that respect metadata.
Securely generating encrypted PDFs requires server-side processing or native APIs not available in web browsers. We are transparent about this limitation rather than misleading users.
Protect adds security metadata. Unlock PDF attempts to remove encryption from PDFs that were encrypted by desktop tools.
Yes. LibreOffice (free, open-source) can export PDF with full AES-256 password encryption on your desktop.

Protect your PDF online for free with Folium — security metadata, private processing, no upload, no account. For full AES encryption, combine with LibreOffice or Adobe Acrobat. Free browser tool, always.