65 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
65 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Encrypt PDF
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description: Password-protect PDF files with 256-bit AES encryption. Set user and owner passwords with configurable usage restrictions.
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---
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# Encrypt PDF
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Lock your PDF behind a password so only authorized people can open it. BentoPDF uses 256-bit AES encryption -- the same standard used by banks and government agencies -- applied entirely in your browser via QPDF.
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## How It Works
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1. Upload a PDF file.
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2. Enter a **User Password** (required). This is the password people will need to open the file.
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3. Optionally enter an **Owner Password**. When set, the PDF gains usage restrictions that prevent printing, editing, copying, and annotating.
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4. Click **Encrypt PDF**.
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5. Download the encrypted file.
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## Password Types
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### User Password (Required)
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The user password is what recipients type to open the PDF. Without it, the document is completely inaccessible. Every encrypted PDF must have one.
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### Owner Password (Optional)
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The owner password controls what an authorized user can do after opening the file. When you set a distinct owner password, BentoPDF automatically applies the strictest restriction set:
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- Modification disabled
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- Extraction/copying disabled
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- Printing disabled
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- Annotation disabled
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- Form filling disabled
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- Document assembly disabled
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If you leave the owner password blank, the PDF is encrypted (it still requires the user password to open) but has no usage restrictions once opened.
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## Encryption Details
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- **Algorithm**: AES-256 (256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard)
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- **Key length**: 256 bits
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- **Standard**: PDF 2.0 encryption (QPDF implementation)
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AES-256 is computationally infeasible to brute-force with current technology. The security of your encrypted PDF depends entirely on the strength of your password.
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## Use Cases
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- Protecting confidential financial reports before emailing them
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- Securing legal documents shared with opposing counsel
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- Adding a password to medical records or personally identifiable information
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- Distributing paid content (e-books, reports) with access control
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- Complying with data protection policies that require encryption at rest
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## Tips
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- Use a strong, unique password. A 12+ character passphrase with mixed case, numbers, and symbols is ideal.
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- Share the password through a separate channel (phone, text message) -- never in the same email as the PDF.
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- If you only need to restrict actions (no printing, no copying) without requiring a password to open, use the Change Permissions tool instead.
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## Related Tools
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- [Decrypt PDF](./decrypt-pdf) -- remove encryption when you know the password
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- [Change Permissions](./change-permissions) -- modify specific usage restrictions
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- [Remove Restrictions](./remove-restrictions) -- strip all security from a PDF
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- [Sanitize PDF](./sanitize-pdf) -- remove hidden content before encrypting
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