How to Protect a PDF File from Copying and Editing

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities.

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This wikiHow will teach you how to protect your PDF file. You can create a PDF and then protect it from editing and copying within Adobe Acrobat.

• Click the Tools in Adobe Acrobat and then select Protection .
• Click Encrypt and then Encrypt with Certificate . Add your name as a user to maintain access.
• You can also click Encrypt with Password if you want to more easily share your PDF.

Encrypting with a Certificate

• If you don't have Adobe Acrobat, you can get a 7-day free trial https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/free-trial-download.html.

• A pane will drop down.

• Make sure you add your own name to the list or you'll be unable to open your PDF.
• You can also set the permissions for each individual who has access to the file if you use the certificate encryption by clicking to select their name from the list, and clicking Permissions.

Save the document. Press Ctrl + S (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd + S (Mac) to save your changes. [1] X Research source

Encrypting with a Password

• If you don't have Adobe Acrobat, you can get a 7-day free trial https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/free-trial-download.html.

• A pane will drop down.

• If you're using either the certificate or password encryption, uncheck the box next to "Enable copying or editing of text, images, and other content" to prevent anyone from making copies of the file.
• If you choose to encrypt with a password, you can create a password that allows people to open and view your PDF, but not allow them to edit. You can also create a password for editing so they can make changes. You can also choose from the drop-downs if you want to allow printing and changes.

Save the document. Press Ctrl + S (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd + S (Mac) to save your changes. [2] X Research source

How do I make a PDF read only?

On Windows, right-click the PDF and select Properties. Check the box for Read-only and click OK. On Mac, select the PDF and click File. Click Get Info and set the access under the Sharing and Permissions tab.

How can you protect a PDF without a password?

If you don't want to set a password, you can set the document as Read-only. This allows someone to read the PDF without the power to edit the text or information within the document.

How do you know if a PDF is read only?

You'll know if a PDF is read-only by checking its properties. On Windows, right-click the PDF and click Properties. On Mac, select the PDF and click Get Info.