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How do I password-protect or unlock a PDF?

To lock a PDF on a Mac, open it in Preview, choose File > Export, click Permissions, tick Require Password To Open Document and set a password, plus an owner password if you want to stop printing or copying. From Microsoft Word, choose Save As PDF, open Options and tick Encrypt the document with a password. In a browser, Adobe's free Protect PDF tool and iLovePDF both add a password, which means the file passes through their servers first. To unlock a PDF you have the password for, such as a bank statement or a salary slip, open it in Preview and use File > Edit Permissions to turn the password off, or use iLovePDF's Unlock PDF. Keep a bank statement off online unlockers: the password is there to keep it private. If you do not have the password and the file is not yours, there is no legitimate way round it: ask whoever sent it. Rule: Preview or Word to lock, your own password to unlock, and an online tool only for files that are not sensitive.

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States that processed files are deleted automatically within two hours, and that you can delete them yourself from the download screen.

iLovePDF security

iLovePDF Nov 2026

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