how to password protect pdf adobe acrobat reader dc

Given the added security, it is often seen that setting both types of passwords is beneficial in securing the content of the document, but as a downside, there are now two passwords available to attack. However, for the user to modify the restricted features, the permissions password must be entered. If the creator of the PDF document secures the PDF file with both types of passwords, the document can be opened with either password. If, however, the controls to restrict editing need to be reset or changed, the permissions password must be typed in. When a permissions password is set, the recipients of the document are not required to type in the password in order to open the document. This password controls what users can do with a document – whether they can edit and print it, etc.

The user needs the specified, correct password to open the document.Īlso known as the master password. However, the document owner cannot restrict or prevent the saving of numerous copies of the same PDF (not good news if a password has been shared or broken), revoke it if it has been misused, or expire it after a certain amount of time.Īdobe has two levels of security to password protect a PDF:Īlso called the user password or owner password, controls who can open the PDF document. The earliest security controls introduced by Adobe in their PDF documents were passwords, and it quickly became the most popular access control mechanism over the years due to the fact that passwords are a common form of access control in other systems.Ĭurrently, Adobe provides simple security to password protect PDF files – this enables the creator to limit access to the PDF file and/or restrict specific features, such as editing the document or printing it.

During the early versions of PDF documents, security in the form of access controls or continuing use controls was not supplied, mainly because the most significant characteristic of Adobe PDF documents was to ensure that what was displayed on the screen or on a printed copy was identical, irrespective of the operating system or printing device being used. Adobe was the earliest pioneer in producing PDF documents, and over the years, they added a number of security controls to help secure PDF documents from misuse.

How to password protect pdf adobe acrobat reader dc