Securing PDFs with passwords - User Manuals

Right PDF Pro (macOS)

Chapter 1: Getting started
Chapter 2: Workspace
Chapter 3: Viewing PDFs
Chapter 4: Creating PDFs
- Creating PDFs within Right PDF
- Creating PDF Portfolios
- Convert with Right PDF Office Addin
- Covert web pages to PDF in Google Chrome & Firefox
Chapter 5: Editing PDFs
Chapter 6: Commenting and Sharing PDFs
- Commenting in PDFs
- Sharing PDFs and collaborating
  - Sharing PDFs
  - Collaborate on a PDF file
- Managing comments
- Measure Distance, Perimeter, and Area
  - To use the measure tool
  - To edit properties of the measure tool
Chapter 7: Document Assembly
- Manipulating, splitting and renumbering PDF pages
- Page Thumbnails
  - Page Thumbnails basics
  - Define the tabbing order
- Combine all PDF files
- Navigate a PDF using bookmarks
- PDF tags
- PDF layers
- Insert headers and footers, and Bates numbering to PDFs
- Add watermarks to PDFs
- Imposition
- Links in PDFs
- Destinations
- Batch Processing
Chapter 8: Forms
Chapter 9: Security
Chapter 10: Saving and exporting PDFs
Chapter 11: Multimedia
Chapter 12: Searching and indexing
- Searching PDFs
- Indexing PDFs

How do passwords work?

You can restrict access (e.g. open, edit and print) to documents by protecting them with passwords. There are 2 types of passwords:

Open Password. You must enter the correct password to open the PDF.
Permissions Password. You can open the PDF freely, but must enter the correct Permissions Password in order to use restricted functions.

Note: if the document is protected by both passwords at the same time, you can use either password to open it, but still, you must enter the Permissions Password when you attempt to access restricted functions.

Methods to secure a PDF or PDF Portfolio with password security

You can secure a single PDF file or components of a PDF Portfolio with password-based security through the Password Security dialog box.

Password Security dialog box. You can view and edit the security settings of open or permission passwords. Choose Security > Encryption > Interactive Password; or after you open the Document Properties dialog box, click the Security tab and then Settings …. Or you can choose Security > Encryption > Open Password or Permission Password.
Security Scheme. This is a security settings file that you can customize and reuse. If you often need to apply the same security settings to multiple documents, it is advised to create a security scheme to save time.

Note: you are advised to create a backup of the PDF before applying security settings, lest you forget the password. It is impossible to retrieve password from PDF.

Add password protection

You can protect PDF document or PDF portfolio through Password Security or Security Scheme. Note: you can only encrypt an entire PDF portfolio by choosing File > Properties to open Document Properties dialog box, in which you go on to click Security tab, and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu.

Follow any of the ways below to protect PDF or PDF portfolio with password.
- If you want to protect a single PDF file, open a PDF and do any of the following:
  - Choose Security > Encryption > Interactive Password to open Password Security dialog box; or you can open Document Properties dialog box, click the Security tab and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu. If the PDF has been password-protected, click Settings … to open Password Security dialog box.
  - You can also create or apply a security scheme to the PDF. See Security Scheme.
- If you want to encrypt a certain PDF inside a PDF portfolio, open it and double-click the PDF file you want to encrypt, and do any of the following:
  - Choose Security > Encryption > Interactive Password to open Password Security dialog box; or you can open Document Properties dialog box, click the Security tab and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu. If the PDF has already been protected with a password, click Settings … to open Password Security dialog box.
  - You can also create or apply a security scheme to the PDF. See Security Scheme.
- If you want to encrypt an entire PDF portfolio, open it and do the following:
  - Choose File > Properties to open the Document Properties dialog box. Click the Security tab and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu. If the PDF has already been protected with a password, click Settings … to open Password Security dialog box.
In Password Security dialog box, do any of the following and click OK.
- To restrict access to PDF to those who have the correct password, choose a version of Compatibility, specify the components to encrypt, select Allow document opening only by password, and type in a password in the Document Open Password field.
- To restrict access to certain functions, choose a version of Compatibility, select Set a permissions password to restrict editing or security settings, and type in a password in the Permissions Password field. Afterwards, you can specify the functions to restrict, such as print, edit, copy and more.
In Password dialog box, re-enter the same password to click OK.

Restrict access to PDF document

Once a document is protected by open password, it means anyone must enter the correct password to open it. You can encrypt a PDF document, PDF files within a PDF portfolio, or an entire portfolio.

Note: you are not allowed to change or remove the security settings of a signed/certified document. To add a password, you have to clear all signature fields by choosing Form > Reset Form Fields or use a then-created Reset Form button.

Open a PDF document or PDF portfolio, and do any of the following to open Password Security dialog box:

To add a password to a single PDF file or a PDF within a portfolio (double-click to view a file in portfolio) , choose Security > Encryption > Interactive Password, and click OK in the prompt that follows. Alternatively, open Document Properties dialog box, click Security tab, and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu.
To protect an entire PDF portfolio with a password, choose File > Properties to open the Document Properties dialog box. Click the Security tab and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu.

In the Password Security dialog box, choose a version from the Compatibility drop-down menu. The version you choose determines the level of encryption.

PDF 1.2 and later (40-bit) secures the document using 40-bit encryption.
PDF 1.4 and later (128-bit) secures the document using 128-bit encryption.
PDF 1.5 and later (128-bit) secures the document using 128-bit encryption.
PDF 1.6 and later (128-bit AES) secures the document using the 128-bit AES encryption.
PDF version 1.7 and later (256-bit AES - low security) secures the document using 256-bit AES encryption.
PDF version 1.7 and later (256-bit AES - high security) secures the document using 256-bit AES encryption.

Note: be aware that anyone using an earlier version of PDF application/reader cannot open a PDF document with a higher compatibility setting.

Select the document components to encrypt and check Allow document opening only by password. If Encrypt only file attachments is selected, File Attachment Open Password will replace Open Password. See encryption options below:
- Encrypt all document contents. Select to encrypt the document and the document metadata.
- Encrypt all document contents except metadata. Select to encrypt the contents of a document except metadata. This option is available only when the compatibility is set to PDF 1.5 or later.
- Encrypt only file attachments. This option is available only when the Compatibility is set to PDF 1.6 or later. It requires users to type a File Attachment Open Password to open file attachments and they no longer need a password to open the document. Select this option and then type a password into the File Attachment Open Password field. This is mainly used to secure file attachments attached in a security envelope.
Click OK. In the Password dialog box that follows, re-enter the same password and click OK.

Restrict editing, printing and copying PDF content

You can set permissions to prevent other users from editing, printing or copying PDF contents. Those functions will stay locked without the correct password.

Note: while most PDF applications follow the specs of permissions password, some may not be fully compatible, meaning recipients using those products could run into complications.

Open a PDF document or PDF portfolio, and do any of the following to open Password Security dialog box:

To add a password to a single PDF file or a PDF within a portfolio (double-click to view a file in portfolio), choose Security > Encryption > Interactive Password, and click OK in the prompt that follows. Alternatively, open Document Properties dialog box, click Security tab, and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu
To protect an entire PDF portfolio with a password, choose File > Properties to open the Document Properties dialog box. Click the Security tab and choose Password Security from the Security Method drop-down menu.

In the Password Security dialog box, choose a version from the Compatibility drop-down menu, and specify the components to encrypt. In the Permissions section, select Set a permissions password to restrict editing or security settings. This feature becomes unavailable if you have selected Encrypt only file attachments.
Enter a password in the Permissions Password field. The same password could also serve as Open Password.
Specify what the recipient can print from the Printing permitted drop-down menu:.
- None. Select to prevent users from printing the document.
- Low Resolution. It allows users to print at no higher than 150-dpi resolution. This option is available only when the compatibility is set to PDF 1.4 and later.
- High Resolution. It allows users to print at any resolutions and get a clear copy of the PDF file.
Select what the recipient can change from the Changes permitted drop-down menu:
- None. Select to prevent users from making any changes to the PDF.
- Creating, inserting, deleting, and rotating pages. Select to allow users to create, insert, delete, and rotate page or page thumbnails. It also allows creating new bookmarks. This option is available only when the compatibility is set to PDF 1.4 and later (128-bit).
- Filling in form fields and signing signature fields. This option allows users to fill in forms and add digital signatures. However, they cannot create form fields or add comments. The option is not available if the compatibility is set to PDF 1.4 and later (128-bit).
- Commenting, filling in form fields, and signing signature fields. This option allows users to add comments and digital signatures, and fill in forms while it doesn't allow creating form fields.
- Any except extracting pages. This option allows users to edit the document, add comments and digital signatures, and create form fields. However, extracting pages is not allowed.
Select the following options as needed and click OK:
- Enable copying of text, images, and other content. This option allows users to copy the contents of a PDF. This option is available only when the compatibility is set to PDF 1.4 and later (128-bit).
- Allow accessibility (screen readers can access text for the visually impaired). This option allows visually impaired users to read the document with screen readers that can access the text of a document.
At the prompt to confirm the password, retype the password in the Permissions Password field and then click OK.

Next : Securing PDFs with certificates

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