PDF Permissions
Control what readers may do with a PDF using our PDF Permissions tool. Choose whether printing is allowed in full quality, low quality or not at all, and allow or block editing, copying, comments, form filling and page assembly, secured with your owner password and AES-256 encryption by qpdf. The file still opens without a password unless you set one. Works for PDFs up to 10 MB and 200 pages.
Frequently asked questions
Which permissions can I set?
You can set printing to full quality, low quality or not allowed, and allow or block changing the content, copying text and images, adding comments, filling in form fields and assembling pages, which covers inserting, rotating and deleting pages and editing bookmarks.
Why do I need an owner password?
The owner password protects the permissions themselves. Anyone who has it can change or remove the restrictions, so choose one only you know.
Will readers need a password to open the PDF?
No, unless you enter an open password as well. Without one, the PDF opens normally in every viewer and only the permissions you blocked are restricted.
Can the open password be the same as the owner password?
No. With equal passwords anyone who opens the PDF would also have the owner rights and could lift the restrictions, so the tool asks for two different passwords.
What is the difference between full and low quality printing?
Full quality allows normal printing. Low quality lets viewers print only a degraded, low resolution version, which makes clean reproductions harder, and none blocks printing entirely in viewers that respect the setting.
How strong are PDF permissions?
Permissions are enforced by the viewer, and Adobe Acrobat, browsers and most apps respect them. When the file opens without a password, software that ignores the rules can still read it, so add an open password for real confidentiality.
Which encryption is used?
The permissions are written with AES-256 encryption, security handler revision 6, which Acrobat and Reader X and newer and all current viewers support. Copying for accessibility tools such as screen readers always stays allowed.
Can I change the permissions of a PDF that is already protected?
Not directly. The tool refuses encrypted files, so remove the existing protection with PDF Unlock and its password first, then set the new permissions on the unlocked file.
What are the limits?
You can process one PDF of up to 10 MB with at most 200 pages per request. Passwords can have up to 127 bytes, and the download keeps the original name with -permissions added.
Are my passwords stored?
No. The passwords are used only to encrypt the file in memory during the request. They never appear in the result or the logs, and the file is discarded afterwards.