How to sign a password-protected PDF

Two different things get called a password on a PDF, and they behave completely differently. One stops the file opening at all. The other lets anyone open it and claims to stop editing or printing. Knowing which you have is most of the problem, and this page is about both.

Sign PDF online → · Free PDF Signer

What you can do

How to sign a password-protected PDF

  1. Try opening the PDF. If it asks for a password before showing you anything, that is an open password, and you need it. Nobody can work around that, including us.
  2. If it opens but refuses to let you edit, that is a permissions password. The document can still be signed: the signature is placed as new content on the page.
  3. Drop the file in and enter the open password if you were asked for one. It is used in your browser and not stored.
  4. Sign, seal and download. The signed copy comes out without the old restrictions, which is usually what you wanted anyway.

Ready? Sign PDF online now, free, no signup, and your file is auto-deleted after an hour.

Frequently asked questions

I do not know the password. Can you remove it?

No, and you should be wary of anything that claims it can. Ask whoever sent the file. If it came from a bank or an employer, the password is usually a documented pattern like a date of birth or the last digits of an account, and their support will tell you.

Is it safe to type the password here?

The file is opened in your browser tab and the password is used there. It is not transmitted to us and not stored. That is the same reason the document itself does not need uploading anywhere to be signed.

Will the signed copy still be protected?

Not by the old password. If the signed document needs protecting again, add it when you send it, and remember that the seal on the document is the part that proves it has not been altered. Protection stops people opening it; the seal proves what they opened.

Is it free to sign a PDF online?

Yes. You can fill in and sign a PDF for free with no account, you only pay when you download a finished document ($1.50 per document pay-as-you-go, or unlimited on any paid plan). sign a password-protected PDF works the same way.

Is signing a PDF online secure?

Yes. Files are uploaded over 256-bit TLS, processed in your browser session, and automatically deleted after one hour. Each signature is bound to the document with a SHA-256 tamper-evident seal, so any later edit is detectable.

Are electronic signatures legally binding?

Yes, electronic signatures are legally binding for ordinary business documents in 190+ countries under the US ESIGN Act and UETA, the EU eIDAS Regulation, and equivalent laws worldwide. Courts look for intent, identity and integrity, all of which PDF Verified records.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Everything runs in your browser on desktop or mobile, no app, plugin or download required.

What PDF Verified is, and what it is not

Electronic signature law is settled in broad terms and specific in the details. The ESIGN Act, UETA, eIDAS and their equivalents recognise electronic signatures across more than 190 countries, and what decides a particular case is intent to sign plus evidence connecting the signature to the signer, which is what the audit certificate records. Certain document types carry their own formalities wherever you are: deeds, wills, some property instruments, and anything requiring a witness or a notary. Sign only what you are authorised to sign, since applying another person signature without their authority is forgery whatever tool is used.

PDF Verified is a tool for preparing, signing, stamping and checking documents. It is not a law firm, a compliance service or a forensic examiner, and nothing here is legal, financial or compliance advice. Requirements differ by country, by document type and by the party asking, so check what applies to your document before you rely on it, and take advice where the document matters. You are responsible for the documents you create, sign and send, and for having the authority to do so: signing or stamping in somebody else name, or as an organisation you do not represent, is forgery whatever tool is used. To the extent the law allows, we accept no liability for how a document made with this tool is used or relied on. The full position is in our terms of service.

More ways to sign