DocScanner / Password Protect PDF
How to Password Protect a PDF on iPhone
Salary slips, contracts, IDs and medical records should not travel the internet as open files, one wrong recipient and the contents are public. Locking a PDF with a password takes one toggle, and protecting the originals on your phone takes one locked folder.
Protect a PDF before you share it
- Open the document in DocScanner and tap Share.
- Turn on Password protect and type a password.
- Export. The PDF is encrypted with standard PDF encryption: anyone opening it, in any PDF app on any platform, must enter the password first. Forwarded copies stay locked too.
What password protection does and does not do
A password on a PDF protects the file in transit and at rest: in an inbox, on a laptop, in a cloud drive, in the wrong hands after a misdirected email. Whoever has the password can of course open it, and once open, its contents can be seen, so protection is only as good as how you share the password.
- Send the password through a different channel than the file: file by email, password by text message.
- Use a passphrase the recipient can type on a phone without swearing: three words beat ten symbols.
- For recurring recipients, agree on a scheme once, rather than inventing a new password per file.
Protect the originals on your phone too
The exported copy is one half of the story. The originals live on your phone, and phones get lost, borrowed and peeked at. DocScanner's locked folders encrypt documents on-device with AES-256-GCM, using a key derived from your password through a deliberately slow function that makes guessing impractical. Face ID can unlock the folder for convenience, backed by the Secure Enclave.
If your phone is lost, the contents of locked folders are unreadable without the password, full stop. The key is never stored anywhere and never transmitted, which also means nobody can recover a forgotten password, including us. That is the entire point, and it is why you should note the password somewhere safe.
One free locked folder is included. Put the truly sensitive things there: IDs, contracts, medical documents. Pro unlocks additional locked folders and per-file locking.
When to use which protection
Password protected export: whenever a sensitive document leaves your phone. The recipient needs the password once; the file stays protected wherever it gets copied.
Locked folders: for the sensitive documents that live on your phone long-term. They stay encrypted at rest and open with Face ID when you need them.
Both together: scan into a locked folder, export with a password when sharing. The document is never unprotected at any point in its life.
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Download DocScanner FreeFrequently asked questions
What encryption is used for the PDF password?
Exported PDFs use standard PDF encryption compatible with every major viewer. Locked folders on-device use AES-256-GCM with a key derived from your password.
Can DocScanner recover a lost folder password?
No. The key is derived from your password on your device and never stored anywhere, so a lost password cannot be recovered by anyone. If Face ID unlock is enabled you can still open the folder and set a new password.
Is password protected export free?
Password protected PDF export is part of DocScanner Pro. One encrypted locked folder is free for everyone.
Does the password survive forwarding and copying?
Yes. The encryption lives inside the file itself, so every copy of the PDF demands the password no matter how many times it is forwarded or which app opens it.