PDF documents often contain sensitive information, and it's only natural that users would want to secure their data in any way they can. Encrypting those files is a valid option, and luckily there are third-party tools capable of securing important documents.

If you're looking to encrypt your PDF files, then you might want to consider PDFEncrypt, a tool that allows users to secure their documents through four different algorithms, generate strong passwords, encrypt their metadata, and more in this completely free, open-source software.

Getting started with this program involves an easy process: everything is self-explanatory after booting it up after installation. The interface is clean and intuitive, and encrypting your documents is as easy as selecting them, then inputting a password in the program before clicking the big Encrypt button. As it is easy to operate, we can say even the most casual of users won't have trouble using this software.

If you think your passwords aren't up to the task, the built-in generator can lend you a hand and provide a resilient, virtually unguessable key to access your newly-encrypted documents. Don't forget to note it down somewhere so you don't lose it.

Several options populate the Settings menu, allowing users to get more in-depth with their encryption. You can choose to encrypt the metadata of the PDF file, which means that information about its creation date, author, and other such data will not be viewable unless a password is provided.

You can also entirely disable modifying, copying, printing, and annotating for your documents from that menu. What's more, there are 4 different algorithms that users can use to secure their PDF files: AES-256 is the strongest, but you also have the option of using AES-128, RC4-128, as well as RC4-40.

If you're looking to secure your PDF documents without any hassle, giving PDFEncrypt a try would be a great idea. What's not to like about freeware, open-source, well-featured software, after all?