Password Protect a PDF

How to use Filesvo

1. Select or drop the PDF you want to protect.
2. Type the password twice, then untick anything you don't want readers to be able to do.
3. Click Protect PDF and download the protected copy. Your original file is untouched.

How PDF password protection works

Filesvo encrypts with AES-256 under revision 6 of the PDF standard's security handler, which is the strongest the format defines and is supported by current versions of Acrobat, Preview, Chrome, Firefox and Edge. The password is never stored in the file: it is run through a salted hash to unwrap a random key, so the same password produces a different file every time.

Encryption covers the page content, the text strings and the document's metadata. The page structure stays as it was — the protected file is your document with a lock on it, not a re-rendered copy, so text stays selectable and images keep their original quality.

The printing and copying settings are a separate mechanism from the password, and a weaker one. They are recorded as a permissions flag that reader software is expected to obey. Mainstream readers do obey it, but the standard cannot force them to, and a reader that ignores the flag can print or copy freely. Treat those switches as a clear statement of intent, and the password as the part that actually keeps the file shut.

Private by design

Your files are processed directly in your browser using open-source PDF engines that run in your browser and are not uploaded to Filesvo. Nothing is stored on our servers, because nothing ever reaches them.

Frequently asked questions

Can Filesvo recover my password if I forget it?

No, and nobody else can either. The password is not stored anywhere in the file — it is used to unwrap the encryption key. If you lose it, the document cannot be opened. Keep a copy somewhere safe before you share the file.

What encryption does it use?

AES-256, using revision 6 of the standard PDF security handler. That is the strongest encryption the PDF format defines, and it is what current versions of Acrobat and the major browsers produce and read.

Can someone still print or copy if I untick those boxes?

Possibly. Those restrictions are a flag in the file that reader software is asked to respect, and the common readers do. But the PDF standard has no way to enforce it, so software that chooses to ignore the flag can print or copy anyway. The password is the part that genuinely restricts access.

Can I protect a PDF that already has a password?

Not directly — remove the existing password with Unlock PDF first, then protect it with the new one. This is deliberate: changing the password on a file means decrypting it, and that needs the current password.

Is my PDF or password uploaded to a server?

No. The encryption runs in your browser using its built-in Web Crypto engine. Neither the document nor the password is sent anywhere.