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Participating Frequently
April 3, 2022
Answered

Remove password : multiple PDFs (Action wizard) - Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

  • April 3, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 16223 views

Hello I am using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.

 

I have created an action converting multiple PDFs to txt files.

However, some PDFs are locked

 

I can unlock a pdf, but I has to be one by one manually, and it is not convenient for me (~over 2 000 pdfs).

Is there a way to add a "step" in my already-existing action ?

 

I am open to solutions/suggestions already existing in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC or a programming one (i.e. Javascript since we can import scripts)

Thank you in advance

Correct answer Doc Maik

I stumbled across this problem today and could solve it. I already had an action to set a password, which works fine, but removing so far was a problem just from the actual action, until I did this:

a) Go to Prefs -> Action wizard and select "Password security" in the dropdown menu

b) Create an action where the first command is Encryption, set it to None and uncheck the option to open a requester

c) Add a command to save the file.

 

When now wanting to batch-remove passwords, make sure that no document is open. Then

a) Go to Tools -> Action wizard and select your remove password action.

b) Select one or multiple files. After that it should come up with a requester to enter the password and given that all documents use the same, it would now batch-remove and batch-save the PDFs without password.

 

Worked for me. The key point was the setting in the Prefs.

3 replies

Doc MaikCorrect answer
Legend
June 13, 2024

I stumbled across this problem today and could solve it. I already had an action to set a password, which works fine, but removing so far was a problem just from the actual action, until I did this:

a) Go to Prefs -> Action wizard and select "Password security" in the dropdown menu

b) Create an action where the first command is Encryption, set it to None and uncheck the option to open a requester

c) Add a command to save the file.

 

When now wanting to batch-remove passwords, make sure that no document is open. Then

a) Go to Tools -> Action wizard and select your remove password action.

b) Select one or multiple files. After that it should come up with a requester to enter the password and given that all documents use the same, it would now batch-remove and batch-save the PDFs without password.

 

Worked for me. The key point was the setting in the Prefs.

Participant
February 19, 2025

This did not work for me, no such options, I probably don't have the full version of Acrobat. 

Participant
April 22, 2025

You probably mean like Standard and Pro version. Not sure, but I don't think the standard version wouldn't have that. The comparison at https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/pricing/compare-versions.html doesn't particular list something about PDF security. 

So, do you have that Action Wizard and can create actions or not, or is it just mission options?

 

 

 

 


I don't understand why this is so complicated. I am subscribed to Acrobat Pro, but the only app available for me to download is Acrobat. It looks exactly like the screenshiots you have uploaded, but I cannot find any way to access the services I am supposedly paying for, so that I may be able to do this. 

Bernd Alheit
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 3, 2022

How does you convert PDF to text?

MarrluxiaAuthor
Participating Frequently
April 3, 2022

Recognising text using OCR and then changed the output of save (action already exists in action wizard list, just modified the output)

Bernd Alheit
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 3, 2022

For the use of OCR you must enter the permission password.

MarrluxiaAuthor
Participating Frequently
April 3, 2022

EDIT: If there's no way to achieve that directly via Adobe Proc DC, is there a way, at least, to ignore automatically this type of pop-up messages ? 

 

 

 

try67
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 3, 2022

No. That would defeat the entire purpose of having a security password, wouldn't it?

MarrluxiaAuthor
Participating Frequently
April 3, 2022

It's absurd though that I can remove the password (without knowing it) one by one via Adobe Acrobat Pro but cannot this to an action in order to apply it to multiple files...