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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 is available for the Windows and macOS while Adobe Reader DC is the direct cloud version which is available for the Windows, macOS, iOS and even Android. 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 PDFs with Adobe Reader and a cheaper alternative - PDFelement.
How to Password Protect PDFs in an Adobe Reader Alternative
PDFelement is the best alternative to Adobe® Reader both in terms of functionality and ease of use. It is also a cheaper alternative to Adobe Reader, and does not require an annual fee. The software lets you create, edit, convert, or protect PDF files.
With the following two steps, you can protect your PDF file within seconds. You can either enable settings to prevent access to your PDF, or you can prevent the file from being copied, edited, or printed. Distinguishing features from Adobe Reader include editing 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. Here's the step-by-step guide on how to password protect your PDF using the Adobe Reader alternative, PDFelement.
Step 1. Open Your PDF
Launch PDFelement on your computer and click on the "Open" button to load the file you want to protect. Alternatively, you can click on "File" and select "Open" to choose a PDF to upload.
Step 2. Password Protect PDF
Now, click on the "Protect" tab and click on "Password". In the next dialogue box, enter the password and confirm the password again. Finally click on "OK" at the bottom of the screen. Close the PDF file and click on the "Yes" button again to save the PDF file.
Video on How to Password Protect a PDF with PDFelement
How to Password Protect a PDF with Adobe® Reader
Download the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows or Mac and install it on your computer.
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 to your PDF file. You'll also need to choose the compatibility for this selected version of the PDF file.
