Please HELP - Asking for password on a file I created and I didn't set a password

[mcnannette]

I just downloaded the trial version of Adobe to combine my PDF files. Now when I open them they are asking me for a password when I didn't create them with one. Now I can't edit them, print them or combine them.

[kglad]

<moved from enterprise and teams >

[try67]

How did you create the files?

[daledesilva]

I just experienced this myself. I didn't create my file, however, I downloaded it previously, viewed it many times on macOX and edited it many times on PDF Expert on iPad. Then suddenly one day it had a password and I couldn't get in.

Below are the details as well as sample files of before and after the password magically got applied.

I use Dropbox and PDF expert on iPad, so either one of those could have created the issue.
I also upgraded osX to Sonoma since accessing the file last, but the file doesn't seem to have been edited after that according to the dropbox edit dates.

There are two PDF files in the same folder that this has happened to - situation was the same for both.
One of them I never edited.

In the one I edited, I created annotations on the PDF many times with PDF Expert and was always able to open it again on computer and in PDF Expert. Then today, I went to open the files and found that they asked for an unknown password. I got this same result in...
Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Acrobat, and Acrobat Reader (Installed from Adobe today) on Mac osX Sonoma 14.1
I also got it in Chrome on Windows 11 (Didn't try any other apps).
I also got it trying to open the files directly in Dropbox in a browser on both Mac Chrome and Windows Chrome.

I've tried the password 'password' and my computer pin, but no dice.

I was luckily able to find an earlier version of one of files through Dropbox that still works properly.
Interestingly, the new version with password is 15mb and the original version is 3.9mb.

I've attached both files.

Please reply and figure out where this problem is coming from Adobe, as no one should have to go through this - it could have been much worse for me.

[kglad]

is that your mac password?

[daledesilva]

Is what my mac password? (It's not as I didn't share my password).

The passwords I tried were 'password' which I've never used.
And the pin I use to log into my Mac.

[kglad]

what are your screenshots showing?

[daledesilva]

They're not screenshots. they're the actual pdf files for testing.

[kglad]

are they password protected pdfs?

[daledesilva]

Please take the time to read both the thread and my post as your questions seem to indicate you aren't doing this.

This thread is about PDFs that shouldn't be password protected and then one day suddenly are.
I have explained the full process of things that I have tried as well as uploaded two PDF files named
"Before password randomly applied.pdf"
and 
"After password randomly applied.pdf"

This means... the first one is NOT a password protected pdf, and the second one IS a password protected pdf but shouldn't be as a password was never applied.

[kglad]

ok.  good luck.

[try67]

Both files are secured. The first one has a file-edit policy (to prevent any changes to it, beside printing), and the second has a file-open policy as well, which requires entering a password to view it.

Are you getting these files from an external source? If so, you need to ask them if they changed the way they create the files, and for the password to open them. If you're creating the files yourself, exactly how are you doing it?

[daledesilva]

Thanks @try67 

You're response seems to imply you think I got these files separately. I didn't. They're the same file about one month apart.

I got the file from a 3rd party, happily annotated on top of it using PDF Expert on iPad numerous times for months. Then one day it become the second file. But PDF Expert didn't do it because I also kept a copy of the file that I didn't edit and the same thing happened to it.

No one resupplied the file. It is the same file and something has happened that has cause it to *think it is password protected. Or actually become password protect without user intervention.

[try67]

What makes you think that Acrobat was involved in doing that, though?

[daledesilva]

I didn't know that it was Acrobat doing it. Actually, since I never opened it in Acrobat I was pretty confident it wasn't. The reason I added to this post, though, was because it was a similar issue and Adobe owns the file format, so an Adobe forum seemed like the best place to post.

Note, I've since found the culprit program - I'll post it below.
Thanks for your help

[try67]

Adobe created the PDF format, true, but it does not own it. It's an ISO standard (number 32000, if you're interested in finding out more about it). And since no Adobe application was involved in this process, it's really not relevant to this forum. My guess is whatever application you used made this change behind-the-scenes, for some reason. This doesn't happen by itself.

[Bernd Alheit]

The files have different PDF versions.

[daledesilva]

I've now managed to reproduce my issue and trace where the problem comes from.

First, as @try67 pointed out, the original file I could open, while being able to view it, did already have security settings set. These settings disallowed editing the file for the most part, but allowed viewing and printing it. See the screenshot of the document properties tab from Acrobat.

This, however, still allows viewing the file. So why was there suddenly a password that stopped me viewing it?

First Problem (Potentially): PDF Expert (iOS)

Using this app, I'm able to add annotations in the form of highlights and pen lines to the pdf file. Which are then saved in the file and the file is still viewable without a password.

This is great, apart from the fact that maybe this shouldn't be possible??

Second problem: OsX Preview
When I open the original PDF in Preview on Mac, it opens fine, but won't let me add any highlights, drawings, or edit in any other way. While I'm not sure about annotations, this seems to make sense due to the security settings preventing editing.
HOWEVER, If I open the file after having added annotations through PDF Expert, again it works fine to view and won't let me add annotations or edit, but it WILL LET ME edit the annotations that PDF Expert created. I can move them, resize them and delete them, etc.

It's really easy to accidentally move them, and the problem comes when you close the file - As soon as you close the file, preview saves it without asking and now the file is password protected and you can't even view it (And in my case, goes from 3mb to 10mb).

I don't see any way to recover this after it's happened, but hopefully this helps someone else.

[try67]

If you had mentioned Apple's Preview before we could have let you known that it's a notoriously bad and buggy PDF viewer, and can corrupt PDF files just by opening them. I never heard of it screwing a file this badly, but it doesn't surprise me. Unfortunately, since the PDF standard became public (which is a good thing, in theory) many non-compliant PDF viewers were created, which don't follow the rules regarding security policies, and many other aspects of the PDF format.

[eduardotabio]

Is Adobe really not saying ANYTHING  about this?  These are files that people are creating or dowloading from govermnet websites or whatever, are now protected by passwords you didn't create after having spent hours filling them out.  DOES ADOBE HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS MASSIVE LOSS OF PRODUCT?

[try67]

Are you opening the PDF files in any other application?

Can you provide a sample file that demonstrates this issue?

Can you post a screenshot of the exact window you're getting when you try to open the file?

[eduardotabio]

I will make time to respond with my own work and the inability to open these files without some PC/Android friend sending them to me, but in the meantime, how about this?

[try67]

I can't comment without seeing the actual file... Or having a link to it, at least.

[eduardotabio]

I see.  Adobe can't comment without looking at my private files or having a link to them.  Adobe has never heard of this problem.  No one at Adobe can go on a Mac and confirm what we are saying.  Typical Adobe.  This is why you are being left in the dust. Ta.

[daledesilva]

In my issue above, I found that the culprit was mainly Preview on Mac. If you double click on the file on Mac it opens in preview, and while you think you're just viewing it, you're actually editing it and it saves without telling you.