PDF File is Protected How to Remove Protection From it – Best Solutions

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Written By Ashwani Tiwari
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On April 17th, 2024
Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading

A PDF file is one of the most commonly used file formats that display and share all the crucial documents. Portable documents are used almost everywhere and offer various features. Most of the time, PDF files are encrypted with a password, because a PDF file contains personal or confidential information. But, nowadays many people ask questions like – my PDF file is protected how to remove protection. This is because whenever they want to access the document they will have to enter the password manually. That is a bit of a hassle for users having lots of PDF documents. So, to resolve the user’s problem, we have discussed here some simple methods.

Quick Solution: To Remove Protection from PDF documents in a just few seconds a user can try the professional software Adobe PDF Password Remover Tool. It is an easy application to erase protection from PDF documents.

For Windows

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For Mac

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Quick Glance on Type of PDF Files

Basically, there are two types of Adobe PDF i.e. file with security and file without security. Let’s discuss PDF files in detail.

  • File Without Security: When a PDF file does not have any password or restrictions. Users are allowed to add or delete some additional text, images, or hyperlinks or can perform different tasks on the document without any hassle.
  • File With Security: If any PDF file is protected from a password or restrictions that means, it does not allow the user to do any task. With a password, a PDF file is secure unless users enter the password.

Why Need to Remove PDF File Security?

There are various reasons to delete security from PDF documents. Most of the organization uses numerous PDF files to send and receive the information. Sometimes, they might come across a restricted PDF document. If they need to open a PDF, or add or delete some text and images, then they have to enter the password. If users don’t know the password or they have forgotten it then, they are unable to do any task on the PDF document. In this case, users have to recreate a new PDF file. But, it is often easier to make changes in the existing PDF rather than recreating the new one. Therefore, users need a solution for PDF file is protected how to remove protection.

User Query 1: Yesterday, one of my friends told me that his PDF file is protected and asked me how to remove protection from it. He downloaded a PDF file from the internet containing some useful data. But, when he tried to extract data from secured PDF he couldn’t. So, he asked me for a solution that could easily delete security from PDF documents so that data can be easily extracted.

User Query 2: I needed a project report on the Public management system. Then, I searched on the internet and downloaded the report in PDF format from the web. But, when I tried to copy data from PDF, the file did not permit me. Now, I am in a dilemma and want to delete protection from PDF documents. Can anyone please provide me with the best solution for this? Your help or suggestion would be appreciated!!

PDF File is Protected How to Remove Protection on Windows OS & Mac

People use different operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux, UNIX, etc. So, they need different methods to delete PDF protection on several platforms. Therefore, the following methods would help users immensely to get their problems resolved:

If users search for a PDF file that is secured on how to remove protection on Windows OS, then they can try to print the PDF file and make it duplicate with the help of any browser. But, in that process, the file must not be protected with print security. Therefore, it is better to opt for an alternative choice. In such circumstances, SysTools PDF File Password Remover is very useful for you, as it can easily delete PDF protection of any type. Moreover, the best part of this software is, that it is compatible with all versions of Windows operating systems.

  • Remove PDF protection like copy, edit, print, comment, sign, etc.
  • Gives the option to keep the original PDF password in the resultant file
  • Supports processing both types of PDF files i.e. 128 / 256-bit encrypted
  • Does not require any external program to delete PDF file protection
  • Provides the option to Save or Print unprotected PDF documents

How to Remove Security From Password-Protected PDF in Windows?

To remove password protection from a PDF in Windows, you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (A free tool available on PC):

Open the Software: Go to Start Search. Type “Adobe Acrobat Reader DC” and launch it.

Open the Protected PDF: Next, Open the PDF file that you suspect is password protected.

Enter the Password: After that, you will get a prompt to enter the password for the PDF file.

Remove Protection: Once the PDF is open, click on “Tools” in the menu bar. Navigate to “Protection” → “Encrypt” → “Remove Security“.

Save the Unprotected PDF: After completely removing the security, save the PDF file to apply the required changes.

Use Adobe Acrobat X Pro to Delete Protection from PDF on Mac

PDF was a proprietary format that Adobe controlled and later officially released as an open standard. Adobe Acrobat is a good application for Mac users to resolve the query PDF file is protected how to remove protection. So, follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. First of all, open the password-protected PDF document with Adobe Acrobat.

open file

2. After that, click on the Secure button & choose the Remove Security option from the drop-down list.

remove security

3. Finally, you can request to enter the permission password to delete PDF protection on the Mac machine.

PDF File is Protected How to Remove Protection on Ubuntu OS

This method can easily delete security from PDF by using Document Viewer, the default PDF viewer in Ubuntu. To execute this process, follow the steps given below:

1. At first, open the password-protected PDF file in Document Viewer by entering the password.

enter password

2. Then, go to the File menu >> Print option & make sure the “Print to File” option under the “General” tab is selected.

print file

3. Next, click on the “Print” button & the resultant PDF file will be saved at the location specified in the File option.
4. Finally, try to open the new PDF file. It will not ask you for any password.

Conclusion

The PDF file is protected how to remove protection is one of the most frequently asked queries by the users. However, sometimes it becomes a difficult task. But, this article may be useful for users who want to delete PDF protection. Because, in this write-up, certain guidelines are mentioned that help you to delete security from PDF documents on Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu platforms. Users can choose one method according to their needs and operating system.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I reset PDF protection?

To reset the security protection or permissions in a PDF document you can use Adobe Acrobat Pro but must be the file owner. Also, it is required that the password must be known to you.

How can we say that the PDF file is protected?

Open the PDF document using Adobe Reader or DC after that check the status of the file at the top. If it is shown as (SECURED) it means the file is protected otherwise not.

Can I use Adobe Reader 9.0 version to delete protection from PDF?

No, Adobe Reader 9.0 or any other reader cannot remove protection.

Can Adobe Acrobat Pro be used to delete security from PDFs?

Yes, the Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Pro DC helps to delete protection from PDF documents.

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By Ashwani Tiwari

Being a Chief Technical Analyst, I am aware of the technicalities faced by the user while working with multiple technologies. So, through my blogs and articles, I love to help all the users who face various challenges while dealing with technology.