Send the password separately, without annoying your clients

The method in three points

1. One fixed password per client

   Each client keeps the same password all year. They no longer have to remember a new one with every file, which removes most of the friction.

2. The file by email, the password by text

   The PDF goes as an attachment; the password goes through another channel (text message or phone). A hacked mailbox or a wrong recipient is no longer enough to open the file.

3. Say how to open it

   The file opens in the PDF viewer of any computer or phone: double-click, type the password. One sentence in the email prevents most calls.

Templates to copy

Replace the parts in brackets. The password never appears in the email.

Hi [First name],

From now on, I password-protect your documents before sending them.

Your personal password stays the same all year. I send it separately, by text message, never in the same email as the document. Keep it somewhere safe; if you forget it, just ask me.

Best regards,
[Signature]

Subject: Your documents for [period]

Hi [First name],

Please find attached [the document], protected with your usual password.

To open it: double-click the file, then type the password. It opens in the PDF viewer on your computer or phone.

Best regards,
[Signature]

Hi [First name], your document [name] was just emailed. Password: [password] (same as usual). [Firm]

Good practices

• At least 12 characters: with your client spreadsheet, PDF Protect Plus flags a shorter password as too weak and offers to generate a strong one.
• Never put the password in the subject or body of the document email.
• Keep a copy at the office: your password spreadsheet, or the app’s encrypted vault.
• For a client who prefers the phone, read it out during a call rather than by text.
• If a password was shared by mistake, change it before the next mailing.

In PDF Protect Plus

• PDF protection → Batch protection → “My clients’ passwords”: import your spreadsheet (CSV), each file gets its client’s password.
• “Generate” creates a strong password for a client who has none, or whose password is too weak.
• “Save these passwords in the vault”: next time, no spreadsheet needed.
• “Create the sending summary (client, file)”: to prepare your emails. Passwords are not included.