How to encrypt/password protect Microsoft Office and
Adobe Acrobat (pdf) documents
ADD A PASSWORD TO MICROSOFT OFFICE
The procedure is standard for most Office applications, so for this example, we will use
First, open the Office document you would like to protect. Click the File menu, select the
Info tab, and then select the Protect Document button. Click Encrypt with Password.
Enter your password then click OK.
Enter the password again to confirm it and click OK.
Microsoft Word will now indicate the document is protected. Each time you open the
document, you will be prompted to enter your password to access its contents.
Please refer to Microsoft Office support website for more details.
ADD A PASSWORD TO ADOBE ACROBAT (PDF)
If you receive a prompt, click Yes to change the security.
Select Require a Password to Open the Document, then type the password in the
corresponding field. For each keystroke, the password strength meter evaluates your
password and indicates the password strength.
Select an Acrobat version from the Compatibility drop-down menu. Choose a version
equal to or lower than the recipients’ version of Acrobat or Reader.
The Compatibility option you choose determines the type of encryption used. It is
important to choose a version compatible with the recipient's version of Acrobat or
Reader. For example, Acrobat 7 cannot open a PDF encrypted for Acrobat X and later.
• Acrobat 6.0 And Later (PDF 1.5) encrypts the document using 128-bit RC4.
• Acrobat 7.0 And Later (PDF 1.6) encrypts the document using the AES encryption
algorithm with a 128-bit key size.
• Acrobat X And Later (PDF 1.7) encrypts the document using 256-bit AES. To apply
256-bit AES encryption to documents created in Acrobat 8 and 9, select Acrobat X
And Later.
Select Encrypt All Document Contents
Click OK. At the prompt to confirm the password, retype the appropriate password in
the box and click OK.
Please refer to Adobe Acrobat’s website for more details.
