Convert / PDF
Protect PDF 
Podalls Convert password-protects PDFs offline on Windows 10 and 11, for free. It encrypts a copy with AES-256 so it needs the password to open, or restricts printing, copying and changes, and never stores the password.
- Opens
- Makes
- name (protected).pdf, next to the original
- In the app
- Tools › PDF › Protect PDF
- Account
- Not needed
- Price
- Free, for work too
How it works
How to password protect a PDF on Windows
Three steps, all on your PC. Nothing is uploaded.
-
Open Tools › PDF › Protect PDF and choose one or more PDFs.
-
Type a password twice, and choose what to allow: printing, copying, changes.
-
Save. The protected copy opens only with the password; the original is not changed.
What you get
Built for the real document.
-
AES-256 encryption
The strongest encryption PDFs have, opened with the password in any modern PDF app.
-
Restrictions too
Stop printing, copying text and pictures, or changes, with or without a password to open.
-
Typed twice
So a typing mistake cannot lock you out of your own file.
-
Never stored
The password is held in memory only, never in settings or in the queue.
Your choices
Every choice, before it starts.
The Protect PDF dialog, drawn from the app with its defaults selected. The notes say what each choice does.
Password to open
Leave empty to let anyone open it, with only the restrictions below.
The same password again
Typed twice, so a typing mistake cannot lock you out.
Restrictions
PDF apps respect these, but they are a request rather than a lock: only the password truly keeps a PDF private.
Saved as “report (protected).pdf” next to the original. The original is not changed.
Under the hood
How it decides.
What it reads, what it saves, and the rules it follows, taken from the app itself.
Reads 1 file type
.pdf
Saves as
- report (protected).pdf
Never over another file, and never over your original.
AES-256, done properly
A random 256-bit key from Windows itself encrypts the copy, the way PDF 2.0 describes.
Tested before it is kept
The copy must open with your password, with every page, and refuse to open without it.
Nothing to leak
The password lives in memory only while the job runs, never in settings or the queue.
App or website?
Why not an online converter?
Online tools ask for your file first. Podalls Convert never does.
Good to know
Honest limits.
What this tool does not do, said plainly.
- Forget the password and nobody can open the copy, not even this app. Keep the original.
- Restrictions without a password to open are a request PDF apps respect, not a lock.
- An already protected PDF has to be unlocked first.
First time? The install guide shows every screen, including the Windows warning.
How do I put a password on a PDF for free?
Open Protect PDF, choose the file, type the password twice and save. The copy needs that password to open; the original stays as it was.
What if I forget the password?
The protected copy cannot be opened, by this app or any other. That is why the original is never changed: keep it somewhere safe.
Can I stop people printing or copying my PDF?
Yes. Turn off Allow printing or Allow copying. PDF apps respect it, but only a password to open truly keeps a PDF private.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Podalls Convert does the work on your PC and saves the result there. It only goes online to check for and download its own updates.
In the same free download
Keep going.
Every tool below comes with Podalls Convert. One app, one queue, nothing uploaded.
What you are getting
- Tool
- Protect PDF, in Tools › PDF › Protect PDF
- Makes
- name (protected).pdf, next to the original
- Works on
- Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit
- Version
- 0.3.0
- Price
- Free for personal and commercial use