What Is a Document Open Password? (PDF User Password) GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Windows
What Is a Document Open Password?
How to protect your PDF docs
By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 12, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide A document open password is a password used to restrict the opening of a PDF file. In contrast, PDF owner passwords are used to provide document restrictions in PDF files. While this password is called the document open password in Adobe Acrobat, other PDF programs may refer to this password as the PDF user password or the PDF document open password. How to Set a Document Open Password on a PDF
Some PDF readers may let you protect the opening of the PDF with a password but it's usually specialized tools that include that option. There are also some PDF creators that have the option of creating a PDF user password. With tools that create PDFs, you normally have to start off with a file that isn't a PDF (since the idea is to create a PDF), and therefore aren't all that helpful if you're wanting to make a document open password for an existing .PDF file. You can install the free trial of Adobe Acrobat to protect a PDF with a password, or of course, use the full version if you have it. Use the File > Properties menu and then the Security tab to find the Security Method option. Choose Password Security and then select the option in the new window called Require a password to open the document. Enter a password in that text field to create the document open password for the PDF file. Two other options for adding a password to a PDF is to use the Soda PDF or Sejda website. They're very easy to use: upload the PDF file to the website and then enter the password you want to use. The Password Protect PDF page on Smallpdf.com is a similar website where you can stop a PDF from opening unless the password of your choosing is entered. You can use two PDFs on their site per day without paying. How to Crack or Remove a PDFs Document Open Password
Document open passwords aren't easily hacked but there are a few PDF password recovery tools that can do it via a brute-force attack, given enough time. The website Smallpdf.com is one example. After attempting to remove the password for you, it will ask you to enter the password yourself if it doesn't succeed. Either way, it removes the password for you so that you can then download it back to your computer and use it as a regular PDF file. Like you read above, Smallpdf.com can only deal with two PDFs per day, for free users. This means you can set a password on two PDFs, remove the user password on two PDFs, or do a combination of both, but only involving two files within each day. To simply remove the password, you can open the document in Adobe Acrobat. It will, of course, make you enter the password before you can move forward, after which you can follow the same steps as described above for setting the user password, but by choosing No Security instead of Password Security. While the Soda PDF website mentioned above is used for securing a PDF, the Soda PDF Unlock PDF page lets you remove the password. Unlike a PDF password cracker, you have to know the password. This website is useful if you're just wanting to remove the password protection. FAQ How secure are PDF passwords? PDF passwords can be hard to crack if you create a strong password that's difficult to guess, or use a tool that encrypts the document and requires the user to enter a private key. Adobe Acrobat Pro PC offers this extra layer of privacy along with additional safeguards such as encryption certificates, printing restrictions, and editing restrictions. Can I add password protection to PDFs for free? Yes, you can password-protect PDFs for free. In addition to online programs like smallPDF.com, Microsoft Word and Preview come with built-in password protection. In a Preview document, select File > Export > Encrypt and enter a password. In Word, save the document as a PDF > Options > select Encrypt the document with a password, or Export as PDF > Show Details on a Mac. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Is a PDF File? (And How to Open One) How to Password Protect an Excel File 10 Best PDF Splitter Tools & Methods The 9 Best Free PDF Editors (October 2022) What's a PDF Owner Password? (Change Permissions Password) How to Add Hyperlinks to PDF Files How to Password Protect a PDF XFDF File (What It Is & How to Open One) How to Convert PDF Files to JPG Format How to Turn a PDF into a Word Document How to Insert a PDF Into Word How to Save One Page of a PDF How to Stop Adobe Reader From Opening PDFs in the Browser 6 Ways to Work With PDF Files How to Convert Excel Documents to the PDF Format What Is an ASHX File? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies