How to Password Protect PDF on Mac

Audrey Goodwin

2020-12-31 16:18:09 • Filed to: PDFelement for Mac How-Tos • Proven solutions

PDF format lets you share files easily and safely without having to worry about the content being altered. You can also add watermarks as a way of protecting your sensitive files. Wondering how to password protect a PDF on Mac? In this guide we will show how to password protect PDF on Mac with PDFelement.

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Password Protect PDF on Mac with PDFelement

The article below will show you how to encrypt PDF files with PDFelement.

Step 1. Open a PDF

Once you have opened PDFelement on your Mac including macOS 11, open the PDF file you want to protect by clicking the "Open File" button.

Step 2. Encrypt Your PDF

Once your PDF file is open, go to the top toolbar and click the "File" > "Protect" button. Then from the sub-menu, click on "Encrypt with Password".

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Step 3. Choose the Restriction

If you want to restrict others from opening your PDF file, set an open password in the pop-up window. Enter any password you'd like. To restrict the PDF from being edited or changed, select the "Permissions" option to set a permission password. You can also customize settings by choosing whether to allow printing or changes. If you want both restrictions, select both. After changing the settings as required, click on "OK". Once you save the PDF file, the protection will be enabled.

How to Password Protect PDF with Mac Preview

Preview is another tool on Mac that lets you add passwords to protect your PDF file. However, it only lets you add open passwords. Preview also won't let you unlock a PDF on Mac. However, PDFelement should still be your choice. Below, we outline the steps to follow if you are wondering how to password protect PDFs on Mac using the Preview program.

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Step 1. Export PDF with Preview

Double-click a PDF document to open it with Preview directly (if Preview is your default PDF reader on Mac). Then click the "File" > "Export" button in the top menu.

Step 2. Encrypt PDF with Preview

In the new pop-up window, select the option of "Encrypt". Enter and verify your password. After clicking the "Save" button, the password will be applied to your PDF document.

Tips: How to Encrypt PDF on Mac in Batches

PDFelement is your best option for protecting PDFs in batches. It is a reliable PDF password protector that lets you add passwords to your PDF with ease. It has an easy-to-use interface that lets you restrict your PDF from being printed, altered, or copied, or from having pages extracted or comments added. You can also remove a password from a PDF using this tool, and see the properties of a PDF file. PDFelement is a PDF creator, editor, and converter. With this tool you don't need anything else - it is an all-in-one PDF solution, which is compatible with macOS 10.12 (Sierra), 10.13 (High Sierra), 10.14 (Mojave) and 10.15 (Catalina).

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On the Home screen, click on the "Batch Process" button to open the Batch processing pop-up window.
Choose "Encrypt" from the top menu. Then add all the files you want to protect. After that click on "Next" to set passwords and permissions.
Next, you'll need to set passwords for opening or editing your PDF. Finally, click "Add" to enable the protection of your document.