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Brad28578412de5q
Participant
February 24, 2023
Question

Cannot add a password to a pdf with Password Security applied

  • February 24, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 825 views

I am trying to add password protection to a pdf for emailing. The pdf I am trying to password protect was generated by a HR system we use. When I try to set password (Encrypt - Encrypt with Password) I get prompted with a "Applying New Security Setting" dialog asking if I want to change. I click Yes and then the document asks for a Permissions password to do so.  I do not have this password so can only guess is a vendor setup. The odd thing is that this was working last year and seemed to change in the last 3 to 6 months. Further, this new behavior also is limiting the files we used to do this with in 2022 (these now can no longer be password protected). Did something get changed/locked in a recent update last year? I spoke with the vendor and they said they have not changed anything.

 

I am using Adobe Pro 17.012.30262

 

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3 replies

Abambo
Community Expert
AbamboCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 25, 2023

Incidentally: from the Adobe side, this did work since the very beginning like that. The changes must be in your HR system. Whatever you want to do: you will need the unlock password, or you will need to do what you want to do differently, by a password-protected zip for example.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
T
Test Screen Name
Legend
February 25, 2023

You need to re-raise this issue with the people who support the HR system. We have no magic to remove an unknown password. It sounds like a recent change in their software, since this isn't a new thing in Acrobat. Check out the File - Properties - Security info, on a current file and on a file from a year ago, to compare. You're looking to see the existing security type. 

Kevin Stohlmeyer
Community Expert
Kevin StohlmeyerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 24, 2023

The message says it all "Taxforms9 is protected." You can't add encrypyion to the PDF because your HR System has already added a password restriction on the document. Thats why its asking for a password.

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