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jadiecee
Participant
January 29, 2025
Question

Loading error for an old secured PDF - access is restricted by remote server lc01.parchment.com

  • January 29, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 492 views

Hi!

 

Hope you guys can help me "recover" or open an old secure, digitally signed pdf (an official digital transcript). I was able to open it fine when I first received it back in 2015, but couldn't access it at all a few years later - on PC/Mac using the latest (then) Adobe Reader.

 

The pdf has a statement of authenticity with a digital certificate issued by GeoTrust CA, according to the corresponding doc that came with it.

 

I've recently tried opening it again on my Chromebook using the Adobe Acrobat reader app from Google Play and here's the message that popped up when trying to load it:

 

Error
Access to this document is restricted by this remote server:
lc01.parchment.com, however we are unable to connect to it at this time. Please try to open it again later. If you continue to see this message, check whether your device is supported by the server.

 

Is there any way for me to open this pdf again? It's a bit of hassle to request another copy.

 

Thanks in advance for your time and help.

1 reply

AnandSri
Community Manager
AnandSriCommunity Manager
Community Manager
February 27, 2025

Hello,

 

I hope you're doing well, and we apologize for the delayed response and the trouble.

 

The error message indicates that the server hosting the document and the signature validation are no longer operational, and the access permission is no longer valid. You may have to contact the document provider to share the latest updated document. For testing purposes, you may try to disable the application's Enhanced security but enable it back after the testing. 

 

  • Navigate to Menu> Preferences.
  • Select Security (Enhanced) from the left pane.
  • Uncheck Enable Protected Mode at startup.
  • Click OK and restart the application.

You may also refer to this document: Opening secured PDFs

 

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

 

J
jadieceeAuthor
Participant
February 27, 2025

Hi Anand!

 

Thanks so much for helping out! Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the Enhanced security/protection mode in my app - I'm using the Android version of Adobe Acrobat from the Google Play Store on my Chromebook, Version 25.2.0.37438.

 

I've attached a screenshot of the Preferences tab and I can't find "Security" or "Protected Mode" anywhere.

 

Thanks!

AnandSri
Community Manager
AnandSriCommunity Manager
Community Manager
May 29, 2025

Hello @jadiecee!

 

I hope you're doing well, and we apologize for the delayed response and the trouble.

 

On Android (and Chromebook), the Acrobat Reader app does not offer Enhanced Security or Protected Mode settings, so we can’t disable them like on desktop. The error you're seeing:

“Access to this document is restricted by this remote server”

…means that the PDF is protected by a server-based digital rights management (DRM) system — in this case, via Parchment. These types of PDFs require a live internet connection and permission from the original issuing server to open. If that server is down, deprecated, or blocked on your device, the file won’t open, regardless of which app or platform you use.

 

This isn’t a typical password-locked or digitally signed PDF—it’s a remotely managed document, and unfortunately, if the issuing server is unavailable or the access token expires, even Adobe apps can't override the block.

If you have access to a desktop and have Acrobat Reader, try opening the PDF and check if you still get the same error message. If yes, you might have to request a fresh copy from the issuer or transcript service.

On mobile, ensure you have the latest version of the Acrobat Reader app installed, check for any pending updates from the Play Store, install it, and restart the device.

 

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

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