Change Permissions
Set print, copy, edit, and annotation restrictions
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About Change Permissions
Sets the permission flags that tell readers what may be done with a document — printing, copying, editing, annotating, form filling. Requires an owner password, which is what stops a recipient simply reversing them.
Flags and the owner password are applied in your browser; the password is never transmitted or stored.
How to use Change Permissions
- Load the PDF.
- Set each permission — printing, copying, editing, annotation, form filling.
- Set an owner password. Without one the flags can be cleared by anybody.
- Apply and download.
On a production
A rate card that may be read and printed but not copied into a competitor's spreadsheet. A form that may be filled but not restructured. The document stays openable by anyone; only what they can do with it is constrained.
Frequently asked questions
- How strong is this protection?
- Weak by design. Restrictions rely on readers choosing to honour them, and tools to clear them are freely available — including Remove Restrictions here. Treat it as a statement of intent, not a control.
- How do I actually stop people reading it?
- Encrypt it. A user password means the content cannot be rendered at all without it, which is a genuine cryptographic barrier rather than a request.
- Can I allow low-quality printing only?
- Yes, the specification distinguishes high-resolution from degraded printing, and both flags are exposed here. Honouring the distinction is up to the reader, as with every permission.