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Protect PDF on Mac

Preview can password a PDF — through an export dialog most Mac users never find. The browser route is findable: upload, password, download the encrypted copy. Free with fair daily limits.

Free Encrypted Deleted in 1 hour
  1. 1Upload
  2. 2
  3. 3

Drag & drop your file here

or click to browse · Up to 15 MB

Select file

Accepted: PDF

256-bit SSL encrypted No sign-up to start Auto-deleted in 1 hour

Your files are processed temporarily and deleted automatically — there is no general cloud storage. File deletion.

How to protect pdf

Simple steps — no software to install.

  1. 1

    Open Protect PDF in your browser

    Any Mac, no menus.

  2. 2

    Set a recorded password

    Length is strength.

  3. 3

    Send the encrypted copy

    Password travels separately.

Why use our Protect PDF

Secure & private

Files are encrypted in transit and deleted automatically after processing.

Fast results

Optimized processing returns your file in seconds.

Free to start

Core tools are free with daily limits — no install required.

Works anywhere

Runs in your browser on any device, anywhere in the world.

The discoverability problem

macOS hides PDF protection inside File → Export → checkbox — functional once found, forgotten by next time. The browser tool is a bookmark: same real encryption, no menu spelunking.

Same rules everywhere

Strong passphrase, recorded somewhere safe, shared by a channel other than the file's — and the permanent truth that no one, us included, recovers a lost password. Archive an unprotected original first.

  • Real encryption, findable
  • No export-dialog hunting
  • Separate-channel guidance
  • Free with fair daily limits
  • Files auto-deleted

Frequently asked questions