Password Protect PDF Files

3 Tips on How to Password Protect PDF Files

Available free of charge in 1993, PDF remains a proprietary format today for its convenience to carry and good performance in storing information. Many frequent PDF users prefer to password protect PDF so that sensitive data and information are kept safer. Don't know how to password protect Adobe PDF? Read on and you will find it actually requires little efforts to password protect a PDF.

Editor's Note: If you already encrypt PDF files but forgot the password, you could unlock password protected PDF files using PDF Password Recovery tool.

Tip 1. How to Password Protect a PDF File

Be sure to have Adobe Acrobat on your PC before you password protect PDF files with steps below.

• Open the PDF file you would like to password protect in Adobe Acrobat.
• Click on "Advanced options" and then choose Security → Password Encrypt. Then you'll get a notice asking if you are sure to password protect your file, click "Yes."

  

• Click the checkbox "Require a password to open the document." Type a password and click "OK".
• Retype your password. A prompt will ask you to confirm your password. Type your password again and click "OK."

All these done, you could now have a password to protect your PDF file.

Tip 2. How to Choose a Strong PDF Password to Encrypt PDF Files

It is of great importance to have a strong password to password protect a PDF file. Then what kind of passwords could be called strong passwords? For instance Ac#wP3T$c is a great Password (passwords with letters and figures, lower case and upper case). J0y17 is also a Good Password (use the figure 0 which looks like the letter o). Remember that:

• 14 Characters is the Optimal Password Length (however, most of my passwords are less than 14 characters)
• Passwords Cannot Include Spaces (some applications do not allow this)
• Eventually Any Password Can Be CrackedPasswords Should be Changed Every 30 Days

You can also learn how to choose a secure yet easy-to-remember password here. It's so important that you regularly change your password with a rule. And do not always use the same password for all PDF documents.

Tip 3. How to Remove Password from Password Protected PDF if Forgot Password

It is easy to password protect PDF files, but how could we manage to open the encrypted PDF documents once you forgot the password?

PDF Password Recovery is a handy tool to help you recover not only owner password but also remove user password, making you able to freely open encrypted PDF files and edit, copy and print PDF documents. Download and install it on your PC and see how it works to decrypt password protected PDF files.

Download SmartKey PDF Password Recovery:

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