Password Protect PDFs with Adobe Reader

Audrey Goodwin

2022-01-21 10:54:38 • Filed to: Comparison of PDF Software • Proven solutions

Adobe^® Reader for Windows or Mac comes in several different versions, the most popular versions being Adobe Reader 11 and Adobe Reader DC. Adobe Reader 11 has already ended of support actually. These tools give you the option of protecting a PDF with a password, and knowing how to do this is important for document security. Below, we've provided the step-by-step guide on how to password protect a PDF in Adobe Reader and a cheaper alternative - Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor.

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How to Password Protect a PDF in Adobe Reader Alternative

PDFelement is the best alternative to Adobe^® Reader both in terms of functionality and ease of use. It lets you create, edit, convert, protect PDF files, and even more. Here's the step-by-step guide on how to password protect your PDF using Adobe Reader alternative, PDFelement.

Step 1. Open Your PDF

Launch PDFelement on your computer and click on the "Open files" button to load the file you want to protect. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the file into this program..

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how to password protect a pdf in adobe reader

Step 2. Password Protect PDF

Now, click on the "Protect" > "Set Password" button. In the next dialogue box, enter the password and confirm the password again. After setting the passwords, you can also change the permissions for printing or copying as you desired. Finally, click on "Apply" at the bottom of the screen.

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With PDFelement, you can either enable settings to prevent access to your PDF, or prevent the file from being copied, edited, and printed. Distinguishing features from Adobe Reader include editing PDF text, images, and pages in PDF files, and converting PDF files to other formats. You can also perform OCR on a PDF file which allows you to extract text from scanned images.

How to Password Protect a PDF in Adobe Reader

Step 1. Open PDF File

Once you've installed Adobe Reader on your computer, open the PDF file that you want to protect with a password. You can either drag and drop the PDF file into Adobe Reader or open it from the main menu.

Step 2. Password Protect PDF

After opening the PDF file, go to "Tools > Protect > Encrypt > Encrypt with Password". The tools are located on the top left side of the screen in Adobe Reader 11. Once the menu pops up, click "Yes" on the screen.

The next step is to enter the password into your PDF file. You'll also need to choose the compatibility for this selected version of the PDF file.