Restrict printing, copying, and editing in a PDF
Drop in the file, tick what to restrict, and choose the owner password that lifts the restrictions. The encryption happens in this tab, so the document and the passwords stay on your machine.
Keep the owner password somewhere safe. It is the only way to lift the restrictions from this copy.
How to use it#
- Drop the PDF onto the box above, or click it to choose one.
- Tick what readers should block: printing, copying text and images, or editing.
- Type the owner password twice. It is what lifts the restrictions later.
- To make the file ask for a password before it opens, tick the box and type a different one.
- Press Restrict the PDF, then download the restricted copy. The original is left as it was.
What the restrictions do, and what they do not#
The restrictions are flags written into the file’s encryption, which is AES-256. A reader that respects them, such as Adobe Acrobat, greys out Print, stops text and pictures being selected and copied, or refuses to let the pages be changed. That makes casual copying awkward, and it tells anyone who opens the file what the author intends.
They are requests, though, not locks. Unless it also has an open password, the file opens for anyone, so its pages are there to be read, and a program written to ignore the flags can print or copy them anyway. A screenshot always works. Treat restrictions as a clear signal and a speed bump, not as security.
If the document must not be read at all without permission, it needs a password to open, which is what the PDF password protector adds. That protection holds: without the password there is nothing in the file to read.
The owner password lifts them#
The owner password belongs to whoever set the restrictions. Anyone who has it can take the restrictions off, in Acrobat or with this site’s PDF password remover, which asks for exactly this password when a file opens freely but has limits on it. Without it, the remover leaves the limits where they are.
Keep it somewhere safe and never send it with the file. If it is lost, the restrictions stay on this copy for good, which is why the original is left unrestricted: to change your mind, restrict the original again with a new password.
Adding a password to open it as well#
Tick the box to make the file ask for a second password, the open password, before it shows anything. Acrobat calls it the document open password, and some programs call it the user password. It has to be different from the owner password. With the same one, anyone who could open the file would be its owner, and the restrictions would mean nothing.
The open password decides who can read the document at all. Anyone who has it can read every page, and a tool that decrypts the file with it, this site’s password remover included, writes a copy with no restrictions. So the restrictions slow down the readers you gave the open password to, and the open password keeps everyone else out.
Frequently asked questions#
Is my PDF or my password uploaded?
#
Neither. The encryption runs in this tab, using code fetched the first time you press the button. The passwords never leave their form fields, and the restricted file is handed straight back to you.
Can people still copy a restricted PDF?
#
In a reader that respects the restrictions, no: Copy and Print are greyed out. But the flags only ask; they cannot force anything. A viewer that ignores them, a screenshot, or retyping the text all still work, and so does anyone who has the owner password or the open password. No tool on this site takes text or pictures out of a file locked against copying. Use restrictions to discourage copying and to state your terms, and an open password for anything that must stay private.
What is the owner password?
#
The password that lifts the restrictions. Acrobat calls it the permissions password. The file opens without it, and nobody reading it is asked for it. It is only needed to remove the limits later, in Acrobat or with the PDF password remover. Choose a long one, keep it to yourself, and keep the unrestricted original.
Which readers respect the restrictions?
#
Adobe Acrobat does, and so do many other readers. Some viewers ignore them, and nothing in the file can make them comply. Open the restricted copy in the readers your audience uses and check that Print and Copy are blocked there.
Can I make a PDF read only?
#
Yes, in readers that respect the restrictions. Leave only Editing ticked and the document can still be read, printed, and copied from, but not changed, commented on, or filled in, which is what most people mean by a non-editable PDF. Leave Copying ticked as well to stop text being lifted out of it. A reader that ignores the flags can still edit it, so for a document whose wording matters, such as a signed agreement, keep your own original to compare against.
What does restricting editing cover?
#
Every kind of change a reader offers: changing the text and pictures, adding comments or highlights, filling in form fields, and adding, removing, or turning pages. Tick only printing or copying to leave editing allowed.
Can I restrict a PDF that already has a password?
#
Not directly, because its encryption would have to be replaced. Remove the current protection first with the PDF password remover, which needs the password you have now, then restrict the unlocked copy here.