How to block printing, copying and editing of a PDF (permissions)

How to block printing, copying and editing of a PDF

To set a PDF's permissions, upload the file, check under "Block:" the actions you want to lock ("Printing", "Copying text and images", "Editing the content"), type an "Owner password" of at least 4 characters and click "Apply and download". The PDF still opens without asking for any password; only the blocked actions stay locked in readers that honor permissions.

Open password vs. permissions password: the difference

A PDF can carry two kinds of password, and it's easy to mix them up. The open password locks access: without it, the file won't even open. It's for confidential content only certain people should read, and it's applied with the protect PDF with password tool. The permissions password (also called the owner password) doesn't block reading: anyone can open and read it, but the blocked actions (print, copy, edit) stay locked, and only someone with that password can lift them. This guide focuses on the second: the document opens without asking for any password, but you decide what can and can't be done with it. For the open password, the guide is how to password protect a PDF.

What the tool does (and what it doesn't)

• Three independent locks: "Printing", "Copying text and images" and "Editing the content". "Editing the content" is checked by default; the other two are not. If you only want to block printing, uncheck editing.
• At least one lock is required: with no box checked, the "Apply and download" button stays disabled, with no message.
• "Owner password" of at least 4 characters (the button is only enabled from the fourth one): it's the key to lifting the restrictions later. It is not needed to open the file.
• Doesn't add an open password: the PDF stays readable by anyone.
• Doesn't accept a PDF that already has an open password, nor one that already carries permissions: the operation fails with "Could not apply the permissions." Remove the password (or the old permissions) in the remove password tool and apply again.
• Several PDFs at once, with the same locks and the same password; each file downloads separately.

Step by step to restrict the PDF

1. Open the permissions tool and upload the PDF (or several).
2. Under "Block:", check "Printing", "Copying text and images" and/or "Editing the content". Remember that "Editing the content" comes pre-checked: uncheck it if that's not what you want.
3. Type the "Owner password" (at least 4 characters) and keep it safe. The button is only enabled with the full password and at least one lock checked.
4. Click "Apply and download". The file is named after the original plus "-com-permissoes" and opens without a password.

Which locks to choose for each case

• Handout, e-book or course material: block "Copying text and images" and "Editing the content", but leave printing free. Students print it, but can't redistribute the loose text.
• Contract or proposal sent for review: block only "Editing the content", so nobody changes clauses and figures before sending it back.
• Document meant to be read on screen: block "Printing" and "Copying text and images". Fewer paper copies and less copy-and-paste.
• Final version of a report: check all three. Whoever needs to change it asks the person in charge for the owner password.

How to lift the restrictions later

Keep the owner password: it's what the remove password tool asks for to lift the restrictions. Upload the PDF there, type the owner password and download the unlocked copy. Two details: after the permissions are applied, the PDF details tool treats the file as password protected and does not show its details; and to change the locks or add an open password, remove the permissions first. It's also worth having realistic expectations: permissions ask readers to respect the rules and are honored by most programs, but they're not a vault. Since the content isn't locked for reading, anyone with the file can, in the extreme, photograph the screen or use a program that ignores the restrictions. For real secrecy, what locks things down is the open password, not the permissions one. The removal steps are in how to remove a password from a PDF.

Common errors

• "Apply and download" button grayed out: the owner password has fewer than 4 characters. No message appears; complete the password.
• Button still grayed out with the right password: no box under "Block:" is checked. Check at least one.
• "Could not apply the permissions": the PDF already has an open password or already carries permissions. Remove them first in the remove password tool.
• Blocked editing by accident: that was the default. Redo it from the original file, unchecking "Editing the content".

Everything happens on your device: the PDF and the owner password you set are never sent to any server. The permissions are applied in your own browser.