Password-protect the submission PDF

Encrypt the generated PDF with a fixed password or one built from the answers.

Open this guide in the help center →

1. Open PDF password protection

   In the form builder settings rail, choose PDF password protection and enable it.

2. Choose static or dynamic

   A static password is one value you set and share out of band. A dynamic password is generated from the respondent's own answers, so every PDF has a different password and each person can open only their own.

3. Build a dynamic password

   Select the fields to build it from, and for each one take the full value or a slice between a starting and ending position. This lets you compose something like the first four letters of a surname plus a date of birth — a value the recipient knows without being told.

4. Set the character rules

   Choose how many characters to take and whether the result is forced to lowercase, uppercase, or left mixed case. Be consistent, because the recipient has to type it exactly.

5. Preview before you rely on it

   The settings show the password your configuration would generate. Check it against a real submission and confirm it is something the respondent can work out unaided.

6. Tell the recipient the rule, not the password

   Describe the formula in your email rather than sending the password itself, which would defeat the point.

Features covered

• PDF password protection
• Submission PDFs
• Auto-response

Continue learning

• Give submissions a reference number
• Manage responses and export data
• Notifications and auto-responses for one form
• What people see when they open your form