Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

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Adobe has improved the editing tools in recent versions of Acrobat. However, you may not always want other users to be able to use those editing tools on your PDF. This tutorial explains how to restrict editing in Adobe Acrobat DC, Acrobat 2020, and Acrobat 2017. These steps also include printing restrictions.

First, we’ll look at how to turn on editing restrictions, and then we’ll look at how to turn them off. Note that these restrictions will be enforced in Adobe Acrobat Reader; however, Acrobat Reader users can’t create, eliminate, or alter restrictions.

For a beginner’s guide to password protecting PDFs, please see “How to Password Protect PDFs in Adobe Acrobat (PC & Mac).”

This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 200 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

Important Note: This tutorial is for general knowledge only. The Adobe Acrobat features shown here should not be relied upon to protect sensitive or classified documents. Because the PDF file format is open source, it can be manipulated by third-party software.

How to Turn On Editing Restrictions

1. Select the File tab.

Image of Adobe Acrobat File Tab | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

2. Select Properties in the drop-down menu.

Image of Adobe Acrobat File Drop-Down Menu | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

3. Select the Security tab in the Document Properties dialog box.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Document Properties Dialog Box Security Tab | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

4. Select Password Security in the Security Method drop-down menu.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Document Properties Dialog Box Security Method | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

5. Check “Restrict editing and printing of the document” in the Password Security dialog box.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Pro Password Security Dialog Box | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

6. Choose the printing option you want to allow: None, Low Resolution (150 dpi), or High Resolution.

Select High Resolution if you want other Acrobat users to maintain full printing abilities.

Image of Adobe Acrobat DC Password Security Dialog Box Printing Options | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

7. Choose the changes (edits) you want to allow:

  • None
  • Inserting, deleting, and rotating pages
  • Filling in form fields and signing existing signature fields
  • Commenting, filling in form fields, and signing existing signature fields
  • Any except extracting pages

Note that “Commenting, filling in form fields, and signing existing signature fields” prevents other users from using the editing tools without password access; however, they will be able to use all the comment and mark-up tools.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Password Security Dialog Box Changes Allowed Option | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

8. Enter a password in the Change Permissions Password text box and then select the OK button.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Password Security Dialog Box Password Textbox | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

9. Read the alert box about third-party security. Select the OK button if you accept the warning.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Permissions Password Alert Box | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

10. Re-enter your password in the Confirm Permissions Password dialog box and then select the OK button.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Confirm Permissions Password Dialog Box | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

11. Select the OK button in the alert box explaining that you must save the document to complete the changes.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Saving Alert Box | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

12. Select the OK button to close the Document Properties dialog box.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Document Properties Dialog Box OK Button | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

13. Save and close the document to finalize your restrictions.

How to Turn Off Editing Restrictions

1. Select the File tab.

2. Select Properties in the drop-down menu.

3. Select the Security tab in the Document Properties dialog box.

4. Select No Security in the Security Method drop-down menu.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Document Properities Dialog Box Security Method No Security | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

5. Enter your password in the Password dialog box and then select the OK button.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Password Dialog Box | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

6. Select the OK button in the alert box.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Alert Box | How to Restrict Editing in Adobe Acrobat

7. Select the OK button to close the Document Properties dialog box.

Related Resources

How to Redact PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro

How to Insert Watermarks in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat

How to Search Multiple PDFs with Adobe Acrobat’s Advanced Search

How to Find and Replace Text in Adobe Acrobat DC

Updated February 05, 2023