"My client asked me to send my work in PDF. I am concerned that my document may get compromised, as the client can easily edit my PDF. How can I lock PDF from editing? please help!" -- User on the internet.
Whether you're an employee or a corporation, you'll need to know how to lock a PDF from being edited at some point in time. Perhaps you have some meeting agenda, a contract copy, or confidential information that you need to communicate with a client or a third party. Only approved people should be able to open and interact securely with the material in any situation.
The fact is that there are many simple ways to lock a PDF from editing, but not all of them are equal or secure. This article will go over the quickest and easiest ways to prevent PDF files from being edited by unauthorized users.
Part 1. Ways to Lock PDF from Editing
When you save a document as a PDF, the format is usually preserved, meaning the content can still be edited and copied. Let's explore methods to protect PDF from editing.
Method 1: Adobe Acrobat DC PRO
Adobe Acrobat DC Pro is the most popular PDF software. You can block users from making changes to PDF files. Users can't edit content, move objects, or create form fields if they have the limit editing option enabled. Users may still complete form fields, sign documents, and leave comments.
Follow these steps to lock PDF from editing:
Step 1: In Acrobat DC Pro, open the PDF and perform one of the following actions:
• Select File > Password Protection.
• Select Tools > Protect > Protect Using Password from the drop-down menu.
Step 2: If prompted, select Yes to alter the security settings.
Step 3: Select Editing from the drop-down menu, then type and retype your password. The length of your password must be at least six characters. The password strength indicator appears next to your password, indicating whether it is weak, medium, or strong.
Step 4: Apply the changes. Acrobat provides a notice confirming that the password-protected file was successfully protected.
Advanced Options allows you to choose additional restrictions, such as preventing a PDF from copying or printing.
Heads up: Using these limitations is a total waste of time — they can easily be removed using free PDF password removal software.
Method 2: PDFelement
PDFelement is a highly rated PDF tool that allows you to work with PDF files safely and effectively. This tool comes with a slew of incredible features that make it a one-stop-shop. You can accomplish almost any PDF task you can think of using PDFelement. The task on hand is protecting PDFs. Here are the steps to lock pdf from editing:
Step 1: Open the PDF document.
To use PDFelement, press the icon after it has been installed on your computer. Several icons are presented on the primary screen. Ignore the other choices and select Open files. Following that, the file directory window should appear. Click the Open button after selecting the PDF file you want to secure from alteration. Wait for the PDF file to appear on the screen.
opening a pdf file in pdf element
Locate and click the Protect tab on the toolbar once the PDF file has been uploaded. The sub-menu should be visible just below the toolbar. This time, you will use a signature and corresponding password to safeguard your PDF from being edited. Select Sign Document from the drop-down menu, then drag to the position where you want the signature to appear on your PDF. The Sign Document window will appear now. Choose your ID from the Sign As drop-down menu, or click New ID to create a new one. In the password area, type a strong password and fill in the other fields as needed. When you're finished, click Sign to put your signature on the PDF document.
Step 3: Save the PDF document containing the signature.
When the application has finished adding the signature to your document, go to File and then Save to save your modifications.
Method 3: Icecream Password Manager
Icecream Password Manager surfaced as a safe option after considering the encryption settings that secure some of the most popular password managers.
Even though it's free, you can be assured that it matches the functionality of other premium software solutions when it comes to securing your confidential PDF files
Aside from that, it's evident that you're sick of remembering hundreds of passwords for all of the accounts you use on a regular basis.
Icecream Password Manager is a good option if you only want to remember one master password and have fast access to all of your critical data.
Here are some of the important features that Icecream Password Manager has to offer:
• A simple method to keep track of your passwords.
• The user interface is simple and easy to use.
• With only one click, you may fill out a form.
• The most advanced encryption standards
• Chrome and Firefox add-ons
• There are no less than ten people that can access the system
Icecream Password is an excellent tool for encrypting PDF files and keeping track of your passwords.
Method 4: PDF Anti-Copy
PDF Anti-Copy is a software program that prevents copying and editing of PDF documents. It protects the protected areas of a PDF file without affecting the formatting or style. PDF Anti-Copy reprocesses the entire document, and a strong technique adds further encryption. PDF files protected with PDF Anti-Copy can be viewed and shared like any other file, but they can't be changed.
PDF Anti-Copy is a simple to use tool that can secure single or many files. To lock PDF from editing using PDF Anti-Copy, follow the easy steps below.
Step 1: On your computer, open the PDF document you want to secure by clicking on the File icon.
Step 2: You can opt to protect the entire document or particular pages. Choose the range of pages in the document that you wish to keep safe from changes. For further protection, you can choose visuals in your file in addition to the content.
Step 3: Open your computer's output folder by clicking on the Browse option.
Step 4: Select the Start Now button to begin the reprocessing process. The document is customarily reprocessed in less than a minute
The editing options on the Anticopy protected PDF file will not operate once the document has been reprocessed.
Your password-protected document is now ready to be shared with the public. Plagiarists, on the other hand, make every effort to steal data. It's best if you don't share the document with unknown parties.
What's the bottom line? Any one of the methods mentioned above can protect your PDF from unwanted editing. Now, what if your PDF gets corrupted. Read on for the solution!
Part 2. What to Do When You Have A Corrupted PDF?
Wondershare Repairit is an effective and safe file repair software. This third-party software can quickly get back corrupted, formatted files on Windows Computer, irrespective of the file type and format.
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Repair damaged files with all levels of corruption, including blank files, files not opening, unrecognizable format, unreadable content, files layout changed, etc.
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Fix text, hyperlinks, forms, headers, footers, graphs, watermarks, etc.
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Perfectly repair corrupted files with a very high success rate, without modifying the original file.
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No limit to the number and size of the repairable files.
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Support Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019/2022, and macOS 10.10~macOS 13.
Steps on how to fix corrupted files with File Repair Tool
Follow the tutorial to carry out the corrupted document repair process.
Step 1: Add Corrupted Files
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Launch the Wondershare Repairit on your computer and click on the File Repair option in the More Types Repair sidebar. There, you need to add the file you want to repair.
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This will open a browser window so you can navigate to the location where the file is saved.
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You can choose multiple documents and upload them the same on Repairit. Please add pptx, Docx, xlsx, or pdf files here.
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Once you select the file, the application will load them and display the progress on the screen.
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However, if you accidentally added any file, click on the Delete icon and remove it from the list.
Step 2: Repair corrupted files
Once you are done with adding files you want to get back, click on the “Repair” button available at the bottom-right corner of the page. It will scan the files and resolve the major issues.
You can easily check the progress of the repairing process for any file. It lets you know that files are being repaired, being scanned, or waiting to be repaired.
The application will notify you as soon as the file repair process is completed. Those files that are repaired successfully will depict a ‘Completed’ sign adjacent to their icon.
A pop-up message will appear on the screen informing how many files are being repaired.
Step 3: Preview and Save Files
Since the software has repaired the corrupted files, you can easily preview and save them to your system. Click on the “Preview” button available in front of every repaired file.
Once you tap on the button, a new page will open where you can preview the file.
Hit the “Save” button to store the repaired files. Please choose a different save location to avoid data overwriting.
If you wish to save all files simultaneously, click on the “Save All” button and get the job done right.
You can simply go to the specific location of the windows where you want to save the repaired files.
In this way, users can save all the corrupted files. The tool will let you know how many files have been saved.
Conclusion
These are the most effective strategies for preventing unwanted access to your PDF files. Of course, there are a plethora of additional free and paid choices on the internet to choose from. But these four methods are quick and easy to protect PDF files from editing and copying.
If you want to take it a step further, you may utilize PDF encryption software to protect your PDF files.
What is your preferred tool to lock PDF editing and copying? Please tell us about your experience in the comments area below.