How to make a PDF non-editable
You have to send some very important PDF documents. Since you do not want the contents of these files to be modified, but only viewed, you have thought about looking for some solution that can help you in this undertaking. This is the way it is, isn’t it? Then don’t worry, because you’ve come to the right place at the right time!
In today’s guide, in fact, I will show you how to make a PDF non-editable through the use of some tools that you can use on your computer, be it a Windows PC or a Mac. Moreover, if this were not enough, I will also show you some solutions to be used directly from the browser (therefore online services) and apps for smartphones and tablets. It is up to you to choose the solution that best suits you and proceed following the instructions I am about to give you,
So, are you looking forward to reading the tips I have prepared for you? Well: sit comfortably and give me just a few minutes of free time. I am sure that, by the end of reading, you will have found a solution that suits your needs, so as to protect your PDF documents and prevent unauthorized changes. I just have to wish you a good reading and, above all, a good job!
Index
- Make a PDF uneditable on a computer
- Adobe Acrobat (Windows / macOS)
- PDFMate Free PDF Merger (Windows)
- Soda PDF Desktop (Windows)
- Preview (macOS)
- Make a PDF uneditable through online services
- com
- com
- Make a PDF uneditable on smartphones and tablets
Make a PDF uneditable on a computer
If you have a PDF document on which you want to apply a password to prevent any type of modification, I suggest you read the next chapters, in which I will show you some solutions for Windows and macOS that can be right for you.
Adobe Acrobat Pro (Windows / macOS)
The first solution I recommend to protect your PDF documents from any type of modification is the one offered by Adobe, through its Acrobat Pro software. It is available in a free trial version lasting 7 days, after which it costs 18.29 euros/month. Through Acrobat Pro it is possible to manage documents in PDF at 360 degrees, being able to modify them, sign them, convert them into forms, protect them with a password and much more.
If you want to know more about the features of Acrobat Pro, I recommend that you consult the official website of the program, from which you can download its free trial version, by pressing the Activate trial version buttons and then click Go. At this point, you will be asked to enter your email address, through which you will receive information to complete the Adobe account registration. If the email has already been used to create an Adobe account, you will be prompted to type in your login password. At the end of these procedures, the installation file will be downloaded.
Once you have downloaded the file, double-click on it and, on Windows, press Yes in the User Account Control window. In the screen that is shown to you, then log in with the Adobe account you just created and, in the next section, set your level of proficiency in the use of Acrobat Pro, choosing between Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Once this is done, click on the Start installing button and wait for the process to finish.
On macOS, on the software installation screen, double-click on Acrobat DC Installer and then press the Open button. Enter the macOS password and then click OK. Log in with your Adobe account to automatically start installing the program and wait for the process to finish when the main software screen opens.
When the installation is complete, to protect a PDF from changes with Acrobat Pro, start the program and go to the File > Open menu (top), and then choose the PDF document to protect. Once this is done, in the right sidebar, select the item Protection and, in the toolbar at the top, choose the options Other options > Protection properties.
In the screen that shows you, check the box protection with password from the contextual menu next to the word Security Method. Now, put a checkmark in the Restrict printing and editing of document box and set the None option in Changes allowed.
At this point, type the password you want to use to protect the file in the text box next to the Change password for permissions item and press the OK button. Re-enter the password and click OK twice in a row. Now, you just have to press the Save button (the floppy disk icon) that you find in the menu bar at the top to save the password on the PDF document.
PDFMate Free PDF Merger (Windows)
If you’re planning on making a PDF uneditable but don’t have Acrobat, another solution I can recommend is PDFMate Free PDF Merger, available for free for Windows via its official website. It is a software that allows you to convert documents into PDF and to be able to set protections to prevent unauthorized changes. It is also available in a version for macOS, but this does not have any PDF security features.
If you are interested in PDFMate Free PDF Merger, then download the program in its Windows version via the link I provided, by clicking on the Free Download button. Once the download is complete, double-click on the resulting .exe file and press the Yes button in the User Account Control window. On the installation screen, then click on the OK button, on Next five consecutive times, on Install and, lastly, on Finish.
Once this is done, you will be shown the start screen of PDFMate Free PDF Merger. Then click on the Add files button (top) and select the PDF file on which you want to apply the protection from changes. Now, in the bottom section, enable the Permission password box and make sure that at least the Editing allowed box is unchecked. Then type the password in the text field on the right and click on the Build button.
If you have followed the procedures I indicated to the letter, you will see a Windows folder containing the PDF file protected with a password.
Soda PDF Desktop (Windows)
Another program I recommend you use to protect PDFs from editing is SODA PDF Desktop. This software is paid at a cost of 84 euros/year for its Premium version, which allows you to view PDFs and perform some more complex operations, such as creating, editing and protecting a document. However, it is possible to test its functionality through a 14-day trial version, which is activated when the software is installed on your computer.
If you are interested in this program, go to the official website and click on the Free Download button, near the word On desktop, to download the .exe file. After downloading it, double-click on it and hit Yes, in the User Account Control window. Now, in the screen that is shown to you, press Next twice in a row and wait for the installation process to finish.
Once the installation is complete, Soda PDF Desktop will start automatically, presenting you with an account registration screen, which you can skip at this stage, if you just want to test its features. Its interface is similar to that of Microsoft Office, so it won’t be difficult for you to understand how to get around it if you are used to using Microsoft’s suite.
To open a PDF, click File > Open > Computer (top) and browse for the PDF you want to apply edit protection to. After opening it, click on the Security and Signing tab and press the Security Permissions button. In the box that is shown to you, put a checkmark in the box on the left to enable the insertion of a password, select the None option in Changes allowed and choose whether to enable printing of the document, using the drop-down menu corresponding to the wording Printing allowed. Now, enter your password in the Password and fieldsConfirm password and press the Apply button to confirm adding the password to the PDF document, which will prevent unauthorized changes.
Preview (macOS)
If you’re using a Mac, you can use Preview to view PDFs and set a password via the virtual printer. Doing this is really simple: first, open the PDF file with Preview (or even any other program suitable for the purpose, with printing functions) and then click on the File > Print items in the top menu.
At this point, click on the drop-down menu at the bottom left and choose the option Save as PDF from the latter. Now, in the screen that opens, press the Security Options button and, from the options you see on the screen, choose the one called Require password to copy text, images and other content.
Once this is done, all that remains is to enter the password in the fields below and press the OK button. Then click Save to save the document as a PDF with the password that prevents changes.
Make a PDF uneditable through online services
If you don’t want to install any software on your computer, you can rely on online tools to apply a password to protect against unauthorized changes to PDFs. In the next few chapters, I will show you some online services that can be useful for your purpose.
PDF2GO.com
PDF2GO.com is a free online service that allows you to perform many operations on PDFs, such as merging multiple files, converting documents to PDF and vice versa, compressing and protecting them. Protect user privacy by deleting files that are uploaded to your servers after 24 hours.
If you are interested in this service, connect to its main page and drag the PDF document you want to protect into the colored box located in the center of the screen. Alternatively, click on the Choose file button, to browse folders on your computer, or use the buttons on the right to import a file from the web ( Enter URL ) from Dropbox or Google Drive.
Once this is done, the document will be uploaded, which will be listed just below the upload box. In the lower section, called Settings, you can set the protection parameters: locate the Set password to restrict permissions area and put a check mark in the Prevent Modifying box. Once this is done, type a password in the relevant text box and repeat it in the field below. Then click on Save changes and wait for the process to complete.
At this point, all you have to do is press the Download button to download the protected PDF document. Alternatively, you can press the Download ZIP file button to download a ZIP archive containing the PDF file or click the button with a speech bubble icon to upload the protected document to a cloud storage service ( Dropbox or Google Drive ).
FoxyUtils.com
Another useful online service to set a password on PDFs to prevent them from being changed is FoxyUtils.com. This online service is free (only for 5 daily operations) and allows you to set a password to restrict certain actions that can be performed on PDFs, such as their modification. This service also protects the privacy of users by automatically deleting the files that are uploaded to its servers after a certain period of time.
A free account is required to use FoxyUtils. Then reach the official website of the service and click on the Signup button located at the top right. Then fill out the registration form, indicating your email and a password of your choice. Once this is done, press the Activate button to start using the services offered by FoxyUtils.com.
Now, go to the section relating to the protection of PDF documents ( Protect PDF ) and drag the PDF file into the on-screen pane in the center of the screen, or press the Browse button, to “manually” select a file from the folders on your computer. You can also use the icons on the right to import a document from Dropbox or Google Drive.
After uploading the file, enter a password in the text box in the Options box and put a checkmark in all those boxes relating to the functions you do not want to protect. So be careful not to put any checkmark in the Allow modifications box and then press the Protect PDF button.
Wait a few moments and then press the Download button to download the PDF document, which will be password protected.
Make a PDF uneditable on smartphones and tablets
If you want to set a password on PDF documents in the memory of your smartphone or tablet, the best reliable solution is the one offered by Foxit MobilePDF, available both on the Android Play Store and on the iOS App Store. This app not only allows you to view and edit PDFs but also to add a password for opening, editing and printing them.
If you are interested in this application, I must warn you that the app is free, but the document protection features are paid: they cost € 10.99 / year. However, you can take advantage of the 7-day free trial period to evaluate all its features.
If you are interested in this app, download it on your smartphone or tablet via the links I have provided. On Android, click the Install button and then click Open; on iOS, on the other hand, tap the Get button, unlock the download and installation using the Face ID, Touch ID or the password of the iCloud account and then press Open.
On the main Foxit MobilePDF screen, perform a series of swipes from right to left to scroll through the app presentation and then press the Start button. Now, tap on the ☰ icon, located at the top left, and choose the Documents or Recent items, to select the PDF file in the device memory.
Once this is done, after opening the PDF, tap on the ⋮ icon at the top right and scroll through the different items until you find the one called Protect by password (on Android) or File encryption (on iOS). You will be notified that the option is paid but you can enable the 7-day trial version. Then confirm the operation to start using this feature.
In the screen that is shown to you, activate the Add document restrictions item and decide which options to keep active and which to disable. If you don’t want the document to be edited, you need to make sure that Edit Document is disabled. Then scroll the screen and enter the password in the Password field and tap the confirmation button. A confirmation message will inform you that the operation was successful.
