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Whether you want to keep your confidential documents locked away from prying eyes or limit access to specific users, you can password protect a PDF in PDF Drive. The security feature is part of the office suite and lets you lock down files for only those who know their user IDs and passwords. It also serves as a secondary layer of security for any documents stored in your drive account.
As of this writing, it’s impossible to add password protection to a PDF stored outside of Drive. And with these technological advancements installed on your computer, there are several methods by which you can lock down a file that is stored in the cloud storage service. Let’s go over how to password protect a PDF in PDF Drive.
How to Password Protect a PDF in PDF Drive?
Encrypting a PDF means that only the person with access to the file’s user id and password can read its contents. If you’ve ever downloaded a confidential document from a colleague, or someone close to you, only to have your computer infected with a virus, you’ll want to protect that file with encryption. It can also be convenient if you want to give specific individuals access to certain documents in your account. If a co-worker needs to see a particular paper, but you don’t trust them enough to give them full access, you can password protect the PDF without worrying about them reading the contents. If you want to learn how to password protect PDF in PDF Drive, follow this step-by-step guide:
- Open the PDF file you want to password-protect.
- Click the PDF file icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
- Next, click the “Settings” icon.
- Then, click the “Encrypt this file” option.
- Once done, you’re file is finally encrypted
Enable Password Protection on a PDF
When you encrypt a PDF in PDF Drive, you’ll have the option of locking down only that file or all documents in your account at once. After you’ve encrypted the file, you can encrypt all other files in Drive-by by following these steps:
- Open PDF Drive, Click the file you want to open.
- Next, click the “Settings” icon in the top-right corner
- Then, click “Password protect this file.”
- To disable password protection, click “Unpassword protect this file” and return the file to public sharing.
Signing Up for Smart Lock
When you add files to PDF Drive, you’re given the option to set a Smart Lock. It allows you to automatically sign people into their accounts with the PDF device they use to access PDF Drive. If you want to keep your work private but want to ensure that your family members can sign in to their accounts, you can use this setting option. Here’s what you have to do:
- To turn on this feature, click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the PDF rive window
- Next, select the “Security & Login Settings” option.
- In the “Security” window, click the “Smart Lock” option
- Then, select the “On” option.
Set up Two-Step Verification
As the name suggests, this feature requires two-step verification. However, it’s less effective than some of the other methods we’ll discuss. With two-step verification, you create a verification code that you need to enter on the sign-in screen in order to access your account. You can share this code with authorized parties; they’ll need to enter it to access your account. However, this code can be easily reset by the hacker. That’s why, when you can, we highly recommend using a more robust method like the ones below. However, we’ll also teach you how to do it. Follow the steps below to set this up:
- Open your PDF Drive account
- Click the “Settings” option in the top-right corner of the window
- Duble-tap the “Sign-in info,”
- After that, click the “Sign-in options” button
- Once done, double-tap the “Two-step verification” button.
Use Scanned Documents Only
Scanned documents are PDFs that have been digitally modified in some way, usually through a rubber stamp. It usually renders the document unreadable by any scanning software other than the one used to create the “scanned” file. Since these files are typically unreadable, hackers won’t be able to decipher the sensitive information they contain. Since they’re not actually sensitive documents, most organizations will accept them in place of standard PDF files. To use these files, follow these steps:
- Go to the file you want to password-protect.
- Click the “Settings” icon in the top-right corner of the window Click “Password protect this file.”
- Click “Use scanned format.”
Place Object Lock on an Individual Document
It is it if you’re looking for the last line of defense. PDF Drive allows you to place an object lock on a single PDF file. Nobody will be able to open or edit it except you. To lock a file, follow these steps:
- Open the document you want to close
- And click the “Settings” icon in the window’s top-right corner.
- Next, click “Lock” in the “Content” section
- Then, click “Object lock” in the “Lock type” section
- Once done, select the file you want to lock
- Lastly, click “OK.”
Combination of Locked and Locked Out Features
If you want to password-protect a file in PDF Drive while also using two-step verification and object locking, that’s possible. Just make sure to use the “password protect this file” option and select the other features. To password protect a file using all three elements, follow these steps:
- Open the document you want to password-protect.
- Click the “Settings” icon in the top-right corner of the window
- Then click “Password protect this file.”
Conclusion
Password protection is one of the PDF Drive security features that are easy to use. The only downside is that you can only password protect a single PDF file. But even that is a good safeguard, as it makes it impossible for anyone to access your sensitive data. And if someone breaches your security and gains access to your account, password protection will stop them from editing any documents.