Edit secured PDFs

This document explains how to edit secured PDFs on Microsoft Windows. If a PDF document is secured, only the author should edit it. Contact the author or the PDF creator to edit the document.

To learn how to edit text or images in a PDF, refer to the topics above.

You can limit access to a PDF by setting passwords and by restricting certain features, such as printing and editing. You can remove security from a PDF if you have the document password. If the PDF is secured with a server-based security policy, only the policy author or a server administrator can change it. Contact the creator or the author of the PDF to get the password to edit the PDFs. 

When you try to edit a password protected PDF, you get the following error.

Remove password security

If you have the document password, follow the steps below to remove security from the PDF. 

forgot document or permissions password

If you are the owner of a PDF and don't remember the password required to open the PDF, you have to re-create the PDF. There is no way to recover the password in Acrobat.

If you own a PDF and have forgotten the permissions password used to restrict certain features in the PDF, use the following steps to make the PDF editable by printing a copy.

Edit signed or certified PDFs

Certifying a document assures recipients that the document is authentic. If a PDF is signed using a digital ID or certificate, it’s locked to prevent changes to the document. Digital IDs or certificates used to sign PDFs are used for the commercial and legal purpose and are governed by laws in many countries.

When you try to edit a signed or certified PDF, you get the following error.

For more information on editing a signed or certified PDF, see Edit a signed PDF | FAQ.