Know How to Remove SECURED Status from PDF Documents – A Guide

PDF files are the widely used file format that allows users to share and display all the most important documents. These documents can be used everywhere as it provides various advanced features. These files may contain personal or confidential information so it can be password secured too. Besides, when users try to access their document they will have to manually enter the password. In that case, the most common query arises “how to remove SECURED status from PDF file”.

Table of Contents

• Remove SECURED from PDF With the Best Tool
• Manually Check PDF File Shows Secured Tag or Not
• Remove SECURED Status from PDF File Using Manual Method
• Recommended Solution
• FAQs

When the document is secured either with password or restrictions then, it shows secured status. Thus, to make a secured PDF unsecured, we have covered manual solutions that will help to remove security tag from PDF document. Before that, let us understand the below scenario more clearly:

Method 1: Manually Check PDF File Shows Secured Tag or Not

• Step 1. Firstly, open Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
• Step 2. Then, click File option and hit OK button
• Step 3. If PDF document is Secure, you can see SECURED in that File Name field at the very top.
• Step 4. If your portable file is unsecured, then it should appear without SECURED status
• Step 5. Make sure you have noticed that the ‘SECURED‘ status does not appear in the file name description.

Remove SECURED Status from PDF File Using Manual Method

There are following manual tricks or methods by which users can easily remove security settings from PDF. Here are some of the steps can be used by the user:

Use Adobe Acrobat DC

Step 1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat DC

Step 2. Right-click on the opened document and select Properties.

Step 3. Choose No Security in the Security tab.

Step 4. Enter the password and click OK.

Step 5. Save the PDF file.

Note: A PDF can have two password – one to prevent direct access to the PDF i.e., password required to open the PDF. The second is to put restrictions on the PDF file to control the actions users can perform on it like edit, copy, etc. If the PDF has single type of password only, enter it in the method, if it has both, then enter the second type password.

Method 2: Make a Secured PDF Unsecured with Adobe Acrobat Pro 9

a) First of all, open the PDF document.

b) Choose the Secure drop down Menu.

c) Now, select an option Remove Security.

d) Then, enter the password when you are asked to enter it.

e) After that, go to File menu and click Save As option to save a file in the desired location.

Method 3: Remove Secured from PDF Document with Adobe Acrobat Pro X

a) Open PDF document in Adobe Acrobat Pro X.

b) Now, you can select the View drop-down menu.

c) In the next step, you can Select Tools.

d) Afterward, from the drop-down menu, choose Protection button.

A menu bar will appear within the Adobe Acrobat that will look like this:

e) Next, navigate to the Encrypt option.

f) Choose the Remove Security.

g) Enter the required password.

h) Now, you can get the following screenshot:

i) Press the OK button. Then, go to File menu and select Save As option to save the PDF file in a specific location.

Limitations of Manual Method to Remove SECURED Status from PDF

All of the following are considered to be drawbacks of the manual solution. Let us have a look:

• The manual technique to remove security tag from PDF document requires the full version of Adobe Acrobat program which is quite costly
• Manual solutions are lengthy and thus, users have to devote so much time to complete the entire task
• They are not easy to deal with, and a user cannot execute it alone. Moreover, these manual tricks are quite complicated.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes, most of the people want to remove SECURED status from PDF file. Therefore, in this blog, we have discussed some manual tricks that may useful for users who really want to remove security tag from PDF documents. But, these methods have some drawbacks. Therefore, it is highly recommended to a user to take help of the professional solution. It is the finest approach that is capable to remove secured from PDF without any omissions.

FAQs

Q1. What does it mean when a PDF document is labeled as “SECURED”?

When a PDF is labeled as “SECURED,” it typically means that the document is password-protected or has various security settings in place, restricting certain actions like printing, copying, or editing.

Q2. Can I remove the “SECURED” status from a PDF without knowing the password?

Removing the “SECURED” status without the password is typically not possible, as it would compromise document security. You may need to contact the document owner or author for assistance.

Q3. How can I remove the “SECURED” status from a PDF if I have the password?

If you have the password, you can open the PDF in a PDF viewer (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) and enter the password when prompted. Once unlocked, you can save a copy without security restrictions. Here is the quick way for the same

5 Quick Working Steps to remove the SECURED status from a PDF

• Step 1. Download & Run the software on Windows OS or Mac OS X
• Step 2. Click the Add Files / Add Folder button to add PDF files having “SECURED” status
• Step 3. Choose the desired option “Save” or “Print” present in the Adobe PDF
• Step 4. Click on the Change to select destination folder.
• Step 5. Lastly hit the Unlock button to unsecure PDF

Finally, the software has successfully removed secured status from Adobe PDF.

Q4. Can the “SECURED” status be reapplied to a PDF after it has been removed?

Yes, the “SECURED” status can be reapplied to a PDF by the document owner or author using PDF editing software.