1. Introduction
2. Key Features
3. Use Cases
4. Install Google Drive Add-on
5. Using Google Drive Add-on: Protect your PDFs with a password
6. Next Steps

Introduction

PDF Encrypt by cloudHQ puts a password on any PDF file in your Google Drive. You pick a PDF (or a whole folder of PDFs), type a password, and you get back an encrypted copy. Anyone who wants to open the encrypted file must enter the password first.

The original file is never changed. The encrypted copy is saved back to your Google Drive and also downloaded to your computer, so you can attach it to an email right away. Everything runs from Google Drive and your browser, so there is nothing to install on your computer.

Key Features

1. Works with any PDF. Encrypt a one page contract or a scanned archive that is gigabytes in size. The encrypted output is a standard password protected PDF, so it opens in Adobe Acrobat, Apple Preview, Chrome, the Google Drive viewer, and any other PDF reader. The reader simply asks for the password when the file is opened. Printing stays allowed, so the person you send it to can still print the document.
2. Batch support. Select many PDFs at once, or select a whole Google Drive folder, and every PDF is encrypted in one job. We process up to ten files in parallel, so large batches finish fast.
3. You choose where the encrypted files go. By default each encrypted copy is saved next to the original as <original-name>_encrypted.pdf. If you prefer, the copies can go into a folder called encrypted inside the source folder. We create that folder for you the first time and reuse it after that.
4. Save your password for next time. Tick one checkbox and PDF Encrypt remembers your password, so you do not have to retype it on every run. Untick it and the saved password is cleared.
5. Works with Google Drive files and local uploads. Pick files straight from Google Drive, drag files from your computer into the wizard, or mix both in a single batch.
6. Delivered to two places at once. Every encrypted file is stored in your Google Drive and downloaded to your computer at the same time.

Use Cases

Why put a password on a PDF at all? Because every unencrypted PDF you send is one wrong email address, one forwarded message, or one lost laptop away from a leak. An encrypted PDF is unreadable without the password, so a mistake like that becomes a non event instead of a data breach. In many fields (healthcare, education, finance, legal) rules like HIPAA, FERPA, GLBA, and GDPR require or strongly favor encryption of personal data. Here is how people use PDF Encrypt every day:

Legal professionals. Attorneys and paralegals lock contracts, depositions, and case files before sending them to clients or opposing counsel, and share the password by phone or text message.

Healthcare staff. Doctors, clinics, and administrators password protect referral letters, lab reports, and patient summaries before emailing them, which helps them meet HIPAA requirements.

Accountants and finance teams. Tax returns, K-1s, payroll registers, and financial statements do not belong in an unencrypted email. At year end, whole client folders can be locked in one batch.

HR and operations teams. Offer letters, severance agreements, and performance reviews get encrypted before they are shared, and the locked copies are kept in the encrypted subfolder for compliance.

Real estate agents. Leases, inspection reports, and closing disclosures are full of Social Security numbers and signatures. Agents lock them before forwarding to lenders, escrow, or clients.

Teachers and school administrators. Report cards, transcripts, and student records are protected by FERPA, so they are encrypted before being emailed to parents or other schools.

Install Google Drive Add-on

To use PDF Encrypt inside Google Drive, you first install the add-on. Here is how:

1. Go to the Google Workspace Marketplace page:
   https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/pdf_encrypt_by_cloudhq/739290105308
2. Click the Individual Install button and follow the prompts.
   
3. Sign in with your Google account and allow all requested permissions. The add-on needs these permissions so it can read the PDF files you pick and save the encrypted copies back to your Drive.
   
4. After installing, open Google Drive and refresh the page. When you select a PDF file and open the three dots menu (or right click the file), you will see the PDF Encrypt option under Open with.
   

Using Google Drive Add-on: Protect your PDFs with a password

After you install the add-on, here is how to password protect your PDF files:

1. Open Google Drive and select the PDF files you want to protect. You can select one file or several files at once.
2. Right click the selection (or use the three dots menu), open the Open with menu, and choose PDF Encrypt.
   
3. You are taken to the cloudHQ website. If this is your first time, you are asked to create an account. Just click Sign In with your Google account.
4. The PDF Encrypt page opens and shows the files you picked. Here you can also add more files from Google Drive or upload files from your computer. Type the password you want to use. If you want PDF Encrypt to remember it for next time, tick Save this password for future use. The page also shows where your encrypted files will go, with a Modify advanced options link if you want to change it. When you are ready, click Encrypt.
   
5. Your files are encrypted for you. This takes a few moments. When it is finished you can download each encrypted file, and each encrypted copy is also saved in Google Drive, next to the original file (or in the encrypted subfolder, depending on your settings). The original file stays exactly as it was.
   
6. When someone opens the encrypted PDF, their PDF reader asks for the password. Share the password through a separate channel, for example by phone or text message, not in the same email as the file.

Next Steps

Here are a few things you can do next, and where to get more help:

• Frequently Asked Questions. PDF Encrypt: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Encrypt an entire folder. You do not have to pick files one by one. In Google Drive, go into folder you want to encrypt and then click on New -> More -> PDF Encrypt:
  

• Use PDF Encrypt on mobile. PDF Encrypt works on phones and tablets too. You can pick files from the Google Drive app, type a password, and download the encrypted copy, all from your phone. [ Link placeholder: how to password protect PDF files on mobile ]
• Change where encrypted files go, and manage your saved password. These options live on the PDF Encrypt settings page. You can open it from the PDF Encrypt Dashboard by clicking the Modify advanced options link, or go there directly: PDF Encrypt settings page. There you choose between the _encrypted.pdf suffix and the encrypted subfolder, and you can save, change, or clear your stored password.
• See more guides. Visit the cloudHQ support center for PDF Encrypt for more help.