Password protected PDFs through Google Docs

[Tammie]

Hello all

 

I'm just wondering if anyone uses any apps or extensions to create a password for a Google doc or PDF? I've seen Password Protect for Google Documents where you create your Google Doc and then attach a password to it which works well. However, I've no real idea of how safe it is.

 

Thanks!

Edited September 28, 2018 by Tammie

[TwistedHelixis]

Google drive itself is password protected and only people you share with (can be read only) can access the document.

 

What are you trying to achieve?

[Arthur]

I've no real idea of how safe it is.

I'm going to guess "not very" based on the numerous typos.

 

[Tammie]

Thanks TH, you're right, I should have said PDF, not Google Doc. We use Google Docs here and we would like to be able to send PDFs that require the receiver to put a password in before opening. I know Google recommend their own one through Zix(?) but it's very expensive. I've seen other Gmail add ons (Criptext and FlowCrypt) which again can be costly. I was wondering if there's anything I've missed, or we just have to pay for send an email or PDF that requires a password.

[TwistedHelixis]

Just to add, I would not want to be adding anything 3rd party that could potentially stop me from accessing my documents. I do not know if the encryption unlock system is added to the document itself but if not what happens if the 3rd party ceases to use that product any more and all your files are still locked.

 

EDIT - did not see the last post before adding this post.

Edited September 28, 2018 by TwistedHelixis

[Tammie]

That's a good point too, thanks.

[bald_pig]

Why don't you password protect the PDF before uploading it? It is a part of the PDF standard...

 

[Tammie]

Thanks - we use Google Docs rather than Word and then we download the Google Docs as PDFs. You don't have that ability within Google Docs (I don't think). It's a real shame ...

[dhicks]

We use Google Docs here and we would like to be able to send PDFs that require the receiver to put a password in before opening.

 

As in: you are composing a document in Google Docs, and want to share that document with a limited set of trusted readers, all of which are identified by email addresses, but not all those users neccesarily have a GSuite account associated with that email address.

 

Can you require your users (are they parents? staff?) to sign up to GSuite with the associated email address? If not, can you require them to sign up to some kind of OAuth-supporting service with that email address?

[bald_pig]

Thanks - we use Google Docs rather than Word and then we download the Google Docs as PDFs. You don't have that ability within Google Docs (I don't think). It's a real shame ...

 

We use Acrobat here, but there are plenty of free PDF editors available that are capable of doing it.

[crc-ict]

We have looked for a solution to the same problem.

 

Best we came up with was to download the document as an MS Office file, and then apply a password to that using Office before sharing the file. Clunky, but a solution. Didn't find a way round it for PDFs without buying full-blown Acrobat which is too expensive and much more than we actually need.

@dhicks: if the OP's situation is like ours, requiring recipients to sign up to different systems, use specific e-mails etc. will not be an option. We wanted to be able to share PDFs with password to a whole range of different people, in different organisations and using different systems. Some of those have required cajoling to accept the use of password-protected files at all, without mandating that they need to sign up to a specific service etc.

[Tammie]

We have looked for a solution to the same problem.

 

Best we came up with was to download the document as an MS Office file, and then apply a password to that using Office before sharing the file. Clunky, but a solution. Didn't find a way round it for PDFs without buying full-blown Acrobat which is too expensive and much more than we actually need.

 

Yeah, we might just have to do the same ...

@dhicks: if the OP's situation is like ours, requiring recipients to sign up to different systems, use specific e-mails etc. will not be an option. We wanted to be able to share PDFs with password to a whole range of different people, in different organisations and using different systems. Some of those have required cajoling to accept the use of password-protected files at all, without mandating that they need to sign up to a specific service etc.

 

Usually documents that might require passwords are ones sent outside our organisation (medical, SEN info etc), they're all Office 365.