Index
- How to make a PDF non-editable on a computer
- How to make a PDF uneditable online
- How to make a PDF non-editable from smartphones and tablets
- How to make a PDF uneditable without a password
How to make a PDF non-editable on a computer
If you need make a PDF uneditable and wish to act from computer, the solutions you can rely on are the ones you find listed below. They are available for both Windows that for MacOS. Find the one you think can do the most for you and try it now.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Windows / macOS)
The first solution that I recommend you to consider if you want to make a PDF non-editable by computer is Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. It is a software developed by the well-known software house that invented the PDF format, which allows you to open, view and edit documents belonging to the type in question in various ways, also protecting them from changes. It works on both Windows and macOS and is paid (it has prices starting from 18,29 euros / month), but you can try it for free for 7 days.
To download the program to your computer, go to its website and click the button Trial (7 days). Proceed with the activation of the trial, registering an Adobe account, entering the email address you want to use in the appropriate field, the password and providing the payment data. If you are already registered, you can log in directly. Then wait for the software download to complete.
A scaricamento ultimato, is stai using Windows, april il .exe file obtained and, in the window you see appear on the desktop, click on the buttons Continue e Yes, then log into your Adobe account (if necessary) and click on the button Start installing.
Stai using MacOSInstead, open the package .dmg ottenuto e fai doppio clic sull 'Acrobat Pro DC installer icon located in the displayed window. Then click on the button apri, grant program i permits requested and proceed in the same way as I have already explained to you for Windows.
Now that the main window of the software is displayed on the screen, open the PDF file that you intend to protect from changes by selecting the menu Fillet which is located at the top left, by clicking on the item apri present in it and choosing the document of your interest.
Once this is done, in the right sidebar, select the item Protection and, in the toolbar at the top, choose the option first Other options and then that Protective properties.
On the screen that is now shown to you, select the option Password protection from the context menu, near the wording Method of protection. Therefore, put a check mark on the box Restrict printing and editing of the document and imposta l'opzione None in Changes allowed.
At this point, type the password you want to use to protect the file in the text field corresponding to the entry Change password for permissions and press the button OK, enter the password again and press the button again OK (twice in a row). Finally, click on the icon floppy disk that you find in the menu bar at the top to save the password on the PDF document.
PDFMate Free PDF Merger (Windows)
Stai using Windows, another tool you can turn to to make a PDF uneditable is PDFMate Free PDF Merger. It is a software that allows you to convert documents into PDF and to be able to set protections to prevent unauthorized changes.
To download the program on your computer, go to its website and click on the button Free download.
When the download is complete, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that opens on the desktop, press the button Yes. Next, click the button OK, select the option I accept the terms of the license agreement and click on your tasto NEXT (for four consecutive times), then on that Install and, finally, click on the button end.
Now that you see the program window on your desktop, click on the button Thêm tập tin at the top and select the PDF file on which you want to apply change protection. Alternatively, you can directly drag the file on which to act on the program window.
Then, in the section below, put a check mark in the box next to the item Permission password and make sure at least the box Editing allowed is disabled (otherwise you can do it yourself). Then type the Password you want to apply to the document in the text field on the right.
Finally, click the button Open next to the item Output folder and indicate the location where you want to save the output file, then press the button Build to generate the secure PDF.
Preview (macOS)
If you are using a Mac, you can turn to Preview to view PDFs and then set a password via the virtual printer of the Apple operating system.
To use Preview (the default macOS application for viewing and editing images and PDF documents), double-click on thePDF file icon on which to go to act. If Preview is no longer your Mac's default PDF viewer, right-click on the document and select items Open with e Preview give the menu answer.
Once you have opened the PDF, click on the menu Fillet located at the top left and choose the item Print from the latter. In the new screen that appears, click on the drop-down menu at the bottom left and select the option Save as PDF from the latter, then press the button Security options.
After completing the above steps, select the option Require password to copy text, images and other content, enter the password you want to apply to your PDF in the appropriate fields and press the keys OK e Save, to save the document in PDF with the password that prevents changes.
How to make a PDF uneditable online
If you don't want to install any software on your computer, you can rely on tools that work directly online, from the browser window, to apply a password to protect against unauthorized changes to PDFs. If this interests you, below you will find those that, in my humble opinion, represent the most interesting solutions in the category.
PDF2GO
PDF2GO.com is a free online service that allows you to perform many operations on PDFs, such as merging multiple files, converting documents to PDF and vice versa, compression and, of course, also their protection. The only thing to be aware of is that it does not allow you to upload files larger than 50MB. To get around this limit and unlock other extra functions, you need to subscribe to a paid subscription (at a cost of 5,50 euros / month). Users' privacy, on the other hand, is protected as the files uploaded to the service's servers are automatically deleted within a few hours.
To be able to use it to make a PDF non-editable, go to its home page, click on the button Choose a file and select il PDF in relation to which you wish to go to act. Alternatively, you can drag the document directly into the browser window or you can click on the links Enter the URL, dropbox o Google Drive and download the document from the web.
Once uploaded, locate the section Settings at the bottom of the page and set the protection parameters. So, check the box next to the item Prevent the change that you find in the area Set a password to restrict permissions, under the heading Permissions and type the Password you want to use to protect the document from changes in the appropriate text fields.
Finally, click on the button Start and wait for the file to be processed, then press the button Download to download the secure PDF to your computer. Alternatively, you can press the button Download ZIP file to download a ZIP archive containing the PDF file or click the button Upload to the cloud to upload the protected document to a cloud storage service.
Other solutions to make a PDF uneditable online
Are you looking for more online services through which you can make a PDF uneditable? I'll settle you immediately. In the list below, in fact, you will find indicated other solutions belonging to the aforementioned category that you can consider using.
- FoxyUtils - it is a free online service that allows you to set a password to restrict certain actions that can be performed on PDFs, such as their modification. Protect user privacy by automatically deleting files that are uploaded to your servers after a certain period of time. Note that it allows you to perform a maximum of 5 operations per day. To get around this limit and remove advertising, you need to subscribe to a paid subscription (at a basic cost of $ 5,99 / month).
- PDF Candy - further solution usable via Web through which it is possible to apply a password to PDF documents and make various other changes to the type of file in question. Note that it does not allow you to upload files with a weight greater than 500 MB. To circumvent this limitation and unlock other additional functions, a paid subscription must be taken (at the basic cost of 6 euros / month). Users' privacy, on the other hand, is protected since the PDFs uploaded to the service's servers are automatically deleted within a few hours.
- iLovePDF - is another web service that allows you to protect and edit PDFs in various ways. It's free, but it allows you to work on documents up to 200MB and process only one file at a time. To get around these limits and unlock extra functions, you need to subscribe to a paid subscription (with costs starting from 6 euros / month). User privacy, on the other hand, is protected since the documents uploaded to the service are automatically removed from the company's servers after a few hours.
How to make a PDF non-editable from smartphones and tablets
You do not have a computer at hand and, therefore, you would like me to suggest some tools by which you can make a PDF uneditable by acting as smartphones and tablets? No sooner said than done! In fact, below you will find some of the best apps of this type. Take a look at it right away, you won't regret it.
Foxit PDF Editor (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
If you want to set a password on PDF documents in the memory of your smartphone or tablet, the best reliable solution is the one offered by Foxit PDF Editor. It is an app that allows you to easily modify the PDF documents that are given to you by inserting textual elements, annotations, highlights, etc. There is both for Android and for iOS / iPadOS and it's free, but to unlock some advanced features you need to switch to the paid variant (at the base cost of 11,49 euros, through in-app purchases), which you can try for free. for 7 days.
To download and install the app on your device, follow these steps: if you are using Android access the relevant section of the Play Store and press the button Install (if you are using a device on which the Play Store is not available, you can download the app through an alternative store); if you are using iOS / iPadOS, access the relevant section of the App Store, press the button Get, by your complaint Install and authorize the download via Face ID, touch ID e password dell'ID Apple.
Next, start the app by selecting the app icon that has been added on the home screen and tap the button Start present on the main screen of Foxit PDF Editor. At this point, go to the section Fillet of the app by selecting the relevant item at the bottom, indicates the position from which to take the PDF you want to act on and the fillet say your interest.
Now that you are viewing the PDF document, tap the button (...) located at the top right, choose the item Protect from the menu that appears, then that File encryption e carries his ON the switch next to the option Add document restrictions, then move up ON at least the lever that you find in correspondence with the wording Edit document, type the password you want to use in the field Password and tap on the item end top right.
In conclusion, click onsharing icon located below and choose theWhatsapp or the position on your device where you want to save the document with password.
Other solutions to make a PDF uneditable from smartphones and tablets
If you are looking other solutions through which you can make a PDF non-editable on the move, I suggest you take a look at the additional apps belonging to the category in question that I have included in the list below.
- PDF Viewer (Android / iOS / iPadOS) - app for Android and iOS / iPadOS, which allows you to view and edit PDF files by inserting texts, highlights, etc., even protecting them with a password. Note, however, that some additional options, including the ability to set a password, are only available by making in-app purchases (at a basic cost of € 7,49 / three months)
- PDF Tools (Android) - app intended only for Android devices that offers a specific tool to protect PDFs with passwords, but also other tools to divide documents, unlock them, etc. It is free, but offers in-app purchases (at a cost of 2,49 euros) to access all the functions offered.
- PDF Expert (iOS / iPadOS) - is a specific solution for iPhone and iPad, considered by many to be one of the most reliable in the category, which allows you to view PDFs and work on them in various ways, including applying a password to prevent any changes . It is free, but offers in-app purchases (at a cost of 52,99 euros / year) to unlock all the features.
How to make a PDF uneditable without a password
You are wondering if there is a way to make a PDF uneditable without using a password? The answer is "nì". Let me explain: the only way to prevent any kind of modification to PDFs is to set a password for the file of your interest, proceeding as I have indicated in this guide.
However, if you do not want to use a password and wish to avoid only the changes to the texts that may be present in the document, know that it can be done, provided however that the reference PDF has been saved in the form of an image and without using tools for the optical character recognition (OCR). In this case, in fact, it is possible to add only new contents to the document without freely modifying the text already present. For more information, read my guide on how to write on a PDF file.
How to make a PDF non-editable
