How do I encrypt a .pdf document

HI Jill,
I am Sumit, an Independent Advisor and a 3 year Windows Insider MVP here to help.

There is no such facility with built-in Windows to encrypt a PDF file. You may use an online service like

https://smallpdf.com/protect-pdf

To encrypt PDFs.

Hope that helps.

Disclaimer:
This is a non-Microsoft website which would provide accurate and safe information. Watch out for ads on the site which are frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). There is no need to buy paid products to fix your computers as they do more harm than good sometimes.

Thanks Sumit. I tried and it worked but after a few time usage it blocked me to use it for free.

Then I searched more and found the following which is also very cool looking website with similar features.  https://pdfdoctor.com/protect-pdf

The best part is that there does not seem to be any limit for free usage and it's Ad free. So far so good. Would recommend to give it a shot.

https://smallpdf.com/protect-pdf

this website only allows you to password protect 2 documents each day. I had 6 pdf docs to protect so it was not really helpful. But if you just have 2 its a good resource.

How to encrypt a PDF using Adobe Acrobat:

1. Open the PDF and choose Tools > Protect > Encrypt > Encrypt with Password.
2. If you receive a prompt, click Yes to change the security.
3. 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.
4. 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.

I am scared to do anything mine is so messed up.