How do I put a password on a PDF?

Drop the PDF here, type the password twice, and select Protect the PDF. Download the protected copy; it asks for the password whenever it is opened.

The file is encrypted with AES-256. How safe that is in practice depends on the password: a long one that is not a word or a date is far harder to guess than a short one.

How should I share the password?

Separately from the file: by phone, text message, or in person. A password sent in the same email as the PDF protects very little.

I forgot the password. Can you unlock it?

No. The password is never sent to Bankflow, and strong encryption cannot be reversed without it. Use the original, unprotected file.

Do the printing and copying restrictions really work?

In Adobe Acrobat and many other readers, yes. They are an instruction to the reader rather than encryption, though, so software that ignores them can still print or copy. If only the right people should see the content, rely on the password.

How do I remove the password later?

Use Unlock a PDF Statement with the password to save a copy without it.

Bankflow

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Password protect a PDF before you send it.

Lock a statement or tax return with a password before you email it.

Drop the PDF to password protector browse a file from your device.pdfUp to 100 MB per file · One file at a time

Read in your browser. Never uploaded.

How the protection works

AES-256 encryption

The document is encrypted with AES-256, the strongest encryption the PDF format offers. Without the password, the contents are unreadable, not merely hidden behind a prompt.

Checked before download

The protected file is opened again in your browser twice: once without a password, which must fail, and once with yours, which must succeed. If either check does not pass, nothing is offered for download.

Optional restrictions

You can also stop people who open it from printing, copying text, or editing. Adobe Acrobat and many other readers honour these settings, but they rely on the reader: the password is the real protection.

No recovery

Nobody can recover a forgotten password, including us, because the password is never sent anywhere. Keep it somewhere safe, and keep the unprotected original if you might need it.

Already locked files

A PDF that already has a password asks for it first, then is saved with the new one instead.

Nothing uploaded

The file, the password, and the encrypted copy all stay in your browser tab. Only the download leaves it, to your own device.

Questions

How do I put a password on a PDF?: Drop the PDF here, type the password twice, and select Protect the PDF. Download the protected copy; it asks for the password whenever it is opened.
How secure is it?: The file is encrypted with AES-256. How safe that is in practice depends on the password: a long one that is not a word or a date is far harder to guess than a short one.
How should I share the password?: Separately from the file: by phone, text message, or in person. A password sent in the same email as the PDF protects very little.
I forgot the password. Can you unlock it?: No. The password is never sent to Bankflow, and strong encryption cannot be reversed without it. Use the original, unprotected file.
Do the printing and copying restrictions really work?: In Adobe Acrobat and many other readers, yes. They are an instruction to the reader rather than encryption, though, so software that ignores them can still print or copy. If only the right people should see the content, rely on the password.
How do I remove the password later?: Use Unlock a PDF Statement with the password to save a copy without it.

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Bankflow reads statement PDFs, including password-protected ones, with encryption in transit and at rest, and deletes documents when you ask.

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