> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add Password-Protected PDFs

> How Elephas handles password-protected PDFs, what the messages mean, how to add an unlocked copy, and why Elephas never stores the password to your PDFs.

<Warning>
  Draft. This article depends on an open product question and is not ready to publish.
</Warning>

Elephas recognises a password-protected PDF and tells you so, instead of calling the file broken. For now, the reliable way to add one is to save an unlocked copy and add that.

## Before you start

* You need the PDF's password. Elephas cannot open a protected PDF without it.
* Decide where the unlocked copy should live. Elephas keeps its own copy of every file you add, so you can delete your unlocked copy afterwards. See [where your data is stored](/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored).

## What you see

When you add a password-protected PDF, its row shows **Couldn't be read** with this reason under its name:

**This PDF is password-protected. Retry it and enter the password to add it.**

The other files you added are not affected.

## Steps

### Add an unlocked copy

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Mac">
    1. Open the PDF in Preview and enter its password.
    2. Choose **File › Export as PDF…**, and save the copy without a password. Check that **Encrypt** is not selected.
    3. In Elephas, open the Brain, click the protected PDF's **…** menu and choose **Delete**.
    4. Add the unlocked copy with **Add › Files…** or by dragging it onto the Brain.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    1. Open the PDF in a PDF app you trust and enter its password.
    2. Save or print a copy without a password. In many apps, **Print** with **Microsoft Print to PDF** creates an unlocked copy.
    3. In Elephas, open the Brain, click the protected PDF's **…** menu and choose **Delete**.
    4. Add the unlocked copy with **Add › Files…** or by dragging it onto the Brain.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## How it works

### What Elephas stores

Elephas never stores a PDF's password. When the password prompt is available, the password is used for that one import and then discarded. It is not saved in Elephas's database, its settings, its log or your system keychain, and it is not synced.

Once a PDF is open, Elephas treats it like any other file. It keeps its own copy and indexes the text on your computer. Indexing happens on your computer. Always.

### If the password is wrong

When password entry is available, a wrong password shows **That password did not open this PDF. Retry to try another.** Nothing else in the Brain changes.

### Other protected files

Password-protected Word, Excel and PowerPoint files are not supported. Save an unprotected copy from the app that made them, then add that. DRM-protected EPUBs cannot be read.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Retry shows the password message again">
    Password entry is still being finished, so **Retry** cannot ask for the password yet. Add an unlocked copy as described above.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The unlocked copy still says Couldn't be read">
    Read the reason under the file's name. If it is no longer the password message, the copy has a different problem, such as a scan with no text recognition installed. See [file import errors](/docs/troubleshooting/file-import-errors).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I added a folder with several protected PDFs">
    Each protected PDF gets its own row with the password message. The rest of the folder is added normally. Unlock the protected ones and add them again.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Supported file types" href="/docs/brains-and-documents/supported-file-types" />

  <Card title="Remove documents" href="/docs/brains-and-documents/remove-documents" />

  <Card title="File import errors" href="/docs/troubleshooting/file-import-errors" />

  <Card title="Where your data is stored" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored" />
</CardGroup>


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