Quick links to procedures on this page:
Setting security options for PDF files
You can set security options to protect PDF files that you create. Security options let you control whether, and to what extent, a PDF file can be accessed, edited, and reproduced when viewed in Adobe Acrobat.
The security options are controlled by two passwords: the Permission password and the Open password.
The Permission password is the master password that lets you control whether a file can be printed, edited, or copied. For example, as the owner of the file, you can protect the integrity of the file’s content by choosing permissions settings that prevent editing.
You can also set an Open password that lets you control who can access the file. For example, if your file contains sensitive information, and you want to limit the users who can view it, you can set an Open password. It is not recommended that you set an Open password without setting a Permission password, because users would then have unrestricted access to the PDF file — including the ability to set a new password.
If the PDF file is Acrobat 8.0-compatible, you can choose between two encryption methods: Standard or AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). Encryption is the process of transforming information into a form that can be read only by the intended receiver.
The security options are applied when you save the PDF file. These settings can be viewed when a PDF file is opened in Adobe Acrobat.
To set PDF file permissions |  |
Publish to PDF.|
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Low resolution — lets users print a low resolution version of the PDF file. This option is available for PDF files compatible with Adobe Acrobat 5 or higher.
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Insert, delete, and rotate pages — lets users insert, delete, and rotate pages when editing the PDF file. This option is available for PDF files compatible with Adobe Acrobat 5 or higher.
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Any except extracting pages — lets users edit the PDF file but prevents them from removing pages from the file
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If you want to allow copying of content from the PDF file to other documents, enable the Enable copying of text, images, and other contents check box.
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The Permission password is the master password for the document. It can be used by the file owner to set permissions, or to open the file if an Open password is set.
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Some PDF compatibility options, such as PDF/X-3 and PDF/A-1b, do not let you set PDF file permissions. If you choose such a compatibility option, all controls on the Security page appear disabled. To change the compatibility, see “To select a compatibility option.”
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To set a user password for a PDF file | |