Lock PDF — Why We Don't Offer It Yet
PDF encryption re-encodes the entire document with a standard cipher. It's not simply a setting that "asks when you open" — every stream in the document must be encrypted and a new dictionary of permission info constructed.
This page doesn't accept files. There's no upload area, so no data is processed.
This tool isn't available yet
We don't build file pickers for features that can't actually run. Here's the current status and what it would take to ship it.
| Current status | Not available (in preparation) |
|---|---|
| Technology required | A server (container) able to run qpdf or pikepdf, plus a file transfer and deletion pipeline — or a browser build of qpdf verified across browsers |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Estimated server cost | Roughly $25–40/month for a small always-on container; usage-based if run serverless |
| External API needed | Not required — this can be built entirely on open-source components |
The browser PDF library ezyPDF uses supports assembling and editing documents but not encryption. Encryption faked in an unverified way isn't actually protective while making users believe they're safe, which we judged to be more dangerous — so we don't offer it.
If you need to protect a document right now, use the "set password" feature of the program that made it (Word, Acrobat, etc.), or protect the delivery path with an archive tool's password feature.
How to use
- 1
Check the current status
This feature isn't available yet. That's also why there's no file upload area.
- 2
Use an alternative
Using the password-save feature of the program that created the original document is the most reliable option.
- 3
Inspect the status
To check whether a document already has a password, use the PDF Info tool.
Key features
No pretending it works
Showing a feature that doesn't actually protect as "protected" gives users a false sense of safety. So we didn't build the button at all.
Password detection is provided
Determining whether a document has a password does work — in the PDF Info tool.
Implementation plan disclosed
What technology is needed and why a server is required are disclosed in the table below.
Limits of this tool
- The browser PDF library has no standard encryption implementation.
- Safe encryption must be handled with a verified server-side tool (like qpdf).
When to use it
Distributing external documents
When an open password is needed, use the password feature of the original editing program.
Protecting the delivery path
For email attachments, using a password-protected archive and sharing the password by another channel is widely used in practice.
How are your files handled?
This page doesn't accept files. There's no upload area, so no data is processed.
This page has no file picker, so no data is processed. See the Privacy Policy and File Retention Policy for details.