Buttons that are greyed out, a message that printing is not allowed, or text that will not select: these are common with bank statements, forms downloaded from portals and documents exported by older software. Three different things cause them, and only one is a restriction. This guide explains each, shows what the PDF format and its software documentation say about restrictions, and then walks through removing them from a file that is yours to change.
Three reasons a PDF will not copy or print
- Restrictions set by the author. The file carries permissions that switch off printing, copying text, editing or other actions. The file itself opens without a password.
- The pages are pictures. A scan or a photo saved as PDF has no text to select. Nothing is blocked. There is simply no text layer.
- A password is needed to open the file. Nothing can be copied or printed until the open password is entered.
The fix depends on which one applies. The second and third are covered further down.
How PDF restrictions work
The qpdf project, an open-source PDF tool whose manual documents the encryption design of the format, describes it like this: "The intent of PDF encryption was that there would be two passwords: a user password and an owner password." The user password opens the file. The owner password is meant for whoever controls the document and its permissions.
The permissions themselves are stored in the file as a set of bits. Per the same manual, they cover printing (at low or full resolution), extracting text and graphics, modifying the document, adding annotations, filling form fields and assembling pages. Apple's Preview User Guide describes the same idea from the author's side: you can set a password "to manage access to features such as printing, copying text, and adding annotations."
A file can have an owner password and no password to open. Anyone can open it, and the reader is expected to limit certain actions. The qpdf manual explains how: the empty string is used as the user password, so the file opens, "but a conforming reader restricts certain operations from the user."
Why restrictions are not a lock
The important detail is who enforces them. The qpdf manual states: "There is fundamentally no way to prevent an application from disregarding the security restrictions on a file." It adds: "Any software that can read the encrypted file at all has the encryption key." Restrictions on a file that opens without a password "only restrict users who don't know how to circumvent them."
In practice, a restriction is a request to the PDF viewer. Well-behaved apps honour it. Other software can ignore it or remove it. This is also why the qpdf command-line manual says that qpdf "does not obey encryption restrictions already imposed on the file", and that "These restrictions may or may not be enforced by any particular reader."
The open password is different. It is what the encryption actually depends on, so a file that needs it cannot be read without it. That is why DocPro's Protect PDF tells you that permissions are honoured by well-behaved PDF apps and that the open password is what truly locks the file.
When removing restrictions is reasonable
Remove restrictions only from files you own or have permission to change. Typical cases are a statement you downloaded and need to print, a form you must fill in and keep, a document you exported yourself years ago, or a file a colleague sent you with permission to edit. The qpdf manual notes that its decrypt option "is not intended to be used for bypassing copyright restrictions", and the same applies to any tool.
If the file belongs to someone else and you have no permission, ask them for an unrestricted copy. This is not legal advice. For documents with legal or financial weight, check with the organisation that issued the file or with a lawyer.
How to remove restrictions with DocPro
Unlock PDF runs in the browser. The file is read on your device and is not uploaded.
- Open Unlock PDF and choose the PDF.
- The tool checks what kind of protection the file has. A file that opens freely but blocks actions shows this note: "This PDF opens without a password, but it has restrictions such as no printing or copying. You can remove them here."
- Press Remove restrictions. No password is needed for this kind of file.
- If the file also needs a password to open, a Password box appears instead and the button reads Unlock PDF. Type the password you were given. Either the open password or the owner password works. Tick Show password to check what you typed.
- Download the result. It is named like the original with "unlocked" added, and it has no password and no restrictions.
Print or copy from the new file. Keep the original too, in case you need to send it back as it was.
If the problem is not a restriction
Three checks save time before you try to unlock anything.
- The tool says there is nothing to remove. If Unlock PDF reports that the file has no password, there is nothing to remove, so restrictions are not the cause. The cause is likely the next point.
- The pages are scans. Try selecting a single word. If nothing highlights, or a whole page highlights at once, the page is an image. Run OCR to PDF to add a text layer or Extract text to read the words out. The guides on extracting text from a scanned document and on making a scanned PDF searchable cover both.
- The file asks for a password you do not have. DocPro cannot guess, recover or bypass a forgotten open password. Ask whoever created the file to send a new copy.
Setting restrictions on your own file, and what they do not do
Protect PDF lets you choose Printing (Allowed, Low quality only or Not allowed) and untick actions such as Copying text and images, Editing the document, Adding comments and annotations, Filling in form fields and Inserting, deleting and rotating pages. It also has Password to open and an optional Owner password.
Keep the limits of this in mind. A file with restrictions but no open password can be opened by anyone and its restrictions can be removed, as described above. If the goal is to keep a document private, set a password to open it. If the goal is to hide specific text, restrictions are the wrong tool: use Redact PDF, which is covered in the guide to redacting a PDF for real. Setting a password is covered in how to password protect a PDF.
What DocPro cannot do
Unlock PDF removes protection from a file you can open. It does not open a file whose password is unknown, and it does not repair damaged files. If a file uses a kind of protection the tool does not support, it says: "This file couldn't be unlocked. It may be damaged or use an unsupported kind of protection." The unlocked copy has no encryption at all, so store it where only you can reach it, or add a password again with Protect PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I copy text from a PDF?
Either the author set a restriction on copying, or the pages are scanned pictures with no text, or the file needs a password to open. Try Unlock PDF to see which kind of protection the file has. If it reports no password and no restrictions, the pages are probably images and need OCR.
Do PDF restrictions really stop people copying a document?
Not reliably. The qpdf manual says there is no way to stop an application from disregarding the restrictions, and that restrictions on a file without an open password only restrict people who do not know how to circumvent them. They are a request to the viewer, not a lock.
Can I remove restrictions without a password?
When the file opens without a password but blocks printing or copying, Unlock PDF shows Remove restrictions and does not ask for one. If the file needs a password to open, you must enter it. DocPro cannot guess or recover it.
Is it legal to remove restrictions from a PDF?
It depends on who owns the document and why the restrictions were set. Remove them only from files you own or have permission to change. This is not legal advice; ask the document's owner or a lawyer if unsure.
Is my PDF uploaded when I unlock it?
No. Unlock PDF runs in your browser. The file and any password are used on your device and are not sent anywhere.