How to Password Protect PDF Files on Mac: Two Methods Explained

How to Password Protect PDF Files on Mac

Confidential files are supposed to stay secure at all cost. To keep the prying eyes at bay or offer an additional shield to your sensitive information, never fail to password protect your PDF files on your Mac.

The Preview app for Mac makes it pretty easy to safeguard any doc with an extra layer of defense. Moreover, it also allows you to customize the security options to make the PDF file require password not only for copying text and images but also for printing.

So, if the security of any of your project is bothering you, follow along this straightforward guide to learn how to create an encrypted PDF file on macOS!

There are two ways:

How to Password Protect PDFs on Mac Using Preview App

Step #1. Open the PDF file in the Preview app on your Mac.

Open PDF file on Mac

Step #2. Now, click on File menu and choose Export.

Click on File menu and choose Export on Mac

Step #3. Next, check the box for Encrypt.

Check the box for Encrypt in Mac Export Settings

Step #4. Next up, enter the password. you need to retype it to verify. Then, click on Save.

Enter the Password to PDF File and Click Save on Mac

Note: Keep in mind if you don’t change the name of the doc, Mac will overwrite the existing content. If you don’t want to create a secondary encrypted PDF file, do not tweak the name.

Step #5. Finally, click on Replace.

Click on Replace to Encrypt PDF File on macOS

That’s it! You’ve successfully saved your PDF file with a password on your Mac. If you wish to add even stronger shield to your doc, keep reading…

How to Encrypt a PDF File on Mac Using Print Function

Step #1. Open the PDF file in the Preview app on your computer → File menu → Print.

Click on Print Under File Menu in PDF Preview App on Mac

Step #2. Now, click on the drop-down menu next to PDF and choose Save as PDF.

Click Drop Down Menu next to PDF, Choose Save as PDF in PDF Preview App on Mac

Step #3. Next, click on Security Options.

Click on Security Options in PDF Preview App on Mac

Step #4. Next up, you have multiple options. For instance, you can configure the doc to require the password when being opened.

Enter Password to Protect PDF File on Mac

Besides, you will also set it to ask for the password to copy text, images, and print. Configure the security as per your need. Then, click on OK.

Step #5. Next, if you wish to create a secondary file, tweak the name. But if you don’t want to create a new file, hit Save.

Click on Save in PDF Preview App on Mac

Step #6. In the end, click on Replace to confirm.

Click on Replace to Password Protect PDF File on Mac

What About Removing Password Protection from Your PDF?

What if the protected files become pretty common later and you don’t need to safeguard them anymore? No problem! It’s just as straightforward to decrypt a PDF. To find out how it works, head over to this complete guide.

That’s pretty much it!

Want More Control Over Your PDFs?

If you want to have more control over your PDFs or wish to edit them with more flexibility, try out some of the best PDF editors for Mac. Apps like PDFelement and PDF Expert can prove to be a boon for your workflow. From letting you easily convert the file into various other formats to annotate them, they ensure you can manage your docs like a pro.

Wrapping Up…

So, whenever you think your project could fall into the wrong hands, do use a password to protect your PDFs to thwart the unauthorized access. As the process is painless and doesn’t require any third-party software, it can’t fit into your workflow.

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The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.

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