Want to password protect a PDF file in Windows 10? Want to encrypt a PDF file on your PC before sharing it with others? In this guide, we will see how to password protect PDF files in Windows 10 for free.
PDF Shaper is a free software designed to help PC users password protect PDF files with ease. The PDF Shaper program is easy-to-use, even for novice users.
In addition to encrypting and decrypting PDF files, PDF Shaper also allows you merge PDF files, split PDF files, watermark PDF files, extract text from PDF, extract image from PDF file, rotate pages in PDF, convert PDF to text files, convert PDF to RTF, and convert PDF to image.
Here is how to password protect PDF files in Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows using PDF Shaper free software.
Step 1: Download PDF Shaper free software. Install PDF Shaper on your PC.
Step 2: Once the PDF Shaper is installed on your PC, open the same. Use the Start menu to open the program.
Step 3: In the left-pane, click the Security tab.
Step 4: Now, on the right-side, click Encrypt option. This will open Encrypt window.
Step 5: Click the Add button to select the PDF file that you want to password protect. You can add multiple PDF files if you wish to password protect more than one PDF file with the same password.
Step 6: At the same window, switch to the Options tab as shown in the picture below.
Step 7: In the User password field, enter the password that you would like to use to password protect the PDF file.
In the permissions section, select the permissions. For instance, if you want to stop someone from printing your PDF file, don’t select the Print check box.
If you want the PDF file to ask for password before printing or copying content, enter a password in the Owner password box.
Remember that user password is used to access the PDF file whereas owner password is used to copy content from PDF or print the PDF. Also make sure that owner password is different from user password. If you want to simply password protect the PDF file, no need to enter a password in the Owner password field.
Step 8: Finally, click the Process button to password protect the selected PDF file. When you are asked, select a location to save the new password protected PDF file, and then click Save button.