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U
Under S.
Inspiring
October 11, 2022
Question

To what extent can PDF file saving be disabled?

  • October 11, 2022
  • 1 reply
  • 778 views

Hi,

 

Just completed the first draft of a multi-page InDesign document that I plan to share as PDF to a group of individuals for review via a link (ie, "website.com/folder/file.pdf") on my personal website. No interactivity required, they just need to view the document. But I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to PDF. 

 

My main question is, to what extent can I also disable FILE SAVE?

 

At first, I believed that forcing the PDF to open in-browser (only) might be a way to curb local saving, if there was also a way to disable the browser's save functionality. But I've since been told there might be a way to embed this instruction within the PDF file itself (so it won't save even if opened in Acrobat).

 

Is that really a thing? I have a hard time wrapping my mind around how that would even work. I always assumed that if it was doable, it would be through code (like, through the .htaccess file).

 

I guess what I'm asking here is... to what extent can PDF file saving be disabled, for a document located on a public online server? Even if it can't be entirely disabled, I bet there's something we can do to curb file saving.

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

try67
try67
Community Expert
October 11, 2022

Zero. In order to view a PDF file it must first be saved to the local computer, even if only as a temporary file.

    U
    Under S.Author
    Inspiring
    October 11, 2022

    Well, can't ask for much clearer than "zero chance" 😃 Thank you. Does this also apply to the PDF embed API? In other words, even in this scenario, there will be an obvious "Save" or "Save As" option, correct?

     

    Is there then no way at all to discourage saving, even if it doesn't disable it? For instance, forcing it to open in a browser, where people are less inclined to think "save" and more inclined to think "bookmark". Can that be done on the document-side? Or do I need to stick to the Dreamweaver forum for things like this?

     

    I'll be sharing drafts that aren't finished works, so I don't want them spreading further than they need to. I realize anyone can break through anything, I'm just looking to discourage the average non-tech-head.

    radzmar
    radzmar
    Community Expert
    October 11, 2022

    Every file you share will be downloaded as a copy to the computer ot the recipients, no matter if its a PDF or TXT or DOCX or whatever. Its just how the sharing of files (over the internet) works. If you don't want that others can have your unfinished PDFs you can invite them to an online meeting where you just share your desktop in a stream. This has the advantage that they can see the PDF but don't get a digital copy of it. 

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