Participant

Answered

Didnt set password, still my PDF file is asking for a password to open

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
July 31, 2018
27 replies
402017 views

I have several PDF files that I used to be able to open, but now, they are asking for a password. I did not create a password for any of these files. Has anyone encountered this problem before? If so, how do I resolve it? Thank you.

Correct answer ~graffiti

I've seen this recently and it was fixed in Reader using a patch. Make sure you have the very latest update.

In Reader use Help>Check for updates.

Sachi3900

Participant

I have this same problem. A few days ago I downloaded the basic Adobe app. Then yesterday I downloaded a non-password protected document (an instruction manual for my printer), opened it with adobe (by default) and saved it without a password. Now Adobe won’t let me open it because it is password-protected. I can’t open it with Preview either.

I have no idea what the password for this document would be since I did not add one to it!

How can I remove all this unrequested password protection?

Amal Jaiswal

Community Manager

Hi there,

Hope you are oding well and thanks for reaching out and I’m really sorry to hear about this confusion it can definitely feel frustrating when a file suddenly asks for a password you never set.

Adobe Acrobat does not automatically add password protection to files without user action. So, a couple of possibilities could explain this:

The file may have already had hidden security settings before downloading.
It could have been modified or re-saved in a way that added restrictions.
Sometimes, if a file gets corrupted during download or saving, it may incorrectly behave like a protected file.
If the file was shared from a third-party source, it might have had permissions restrictions embedded.

Please try the steps below and see if that works:

Download the file again
Go back to the original source (printer manufacturer website) and download a fresh copy.
Open it again in Acrobat before saving.
Try opening in a different app
You already tried Preview (good step). You can also try opening it in a browser like Chrome or Edge to see if it behaves differently.
Check file properties (if accessible)
In Acrobat, if it partially opens, go to File > Properties > Security to see what kind of restriction is applied.
Rename the file, sometimes simply renaming and reopening can help if it’s a glitch.

If the file is truly password-protected with encryption, there’s no way to remove the password without knowing it—this is for security reasons. But since you didn’t set one, re-downloading is usually the quickest fix.

Regards

Amal

J

JSACE30943568bk91

Participating Frequently

The original PDF can be unlocked, yet Adobe locks it after we type in information.

This is product pure and simply terrible and the posted company excuses are untruthful.

J

JSACE30943568bk91

Participating Frequently

My firm spoke to the owner of the PDF I am trying to work on and confirmed, IT IS AN ADOBE issue! The lies typed above from Adobe above are incredible. It is not Owner encryption or an accidental User encryption. Adobe designed them to do this.

try67

Community Expert

Can you share a sample file? I'm willing to bet the security password exists within the file itself, and has nothing to do with Adobe.

R

richardw161526

Participant

Hello,

I have the same issue as everyone else - on two different computers both with up to date acrobat readers. I have resolved it completely by installing a third party reader and setting it as my default for .pdf files. I may go back to acrobat reader if I hear about an update that resolves the problem with zero effort from my side, but otherwise I'll just carry on with my free foxit PDFreader which seems just as good as the Acrobat product. Acrobat - I realize you didn't do this deliberately, and I know that all developers make mistakes, but the reports on this page go back to 2018. Maybe it would be a good idea to do something about it...

K

Kevan26574452ojeh

Participant

Hi Folks,

I appear to have the same issue - is there a fix now?

I have a number of PDFs which I can open individually, but when I try to combine them in Adobe Acrobat Standard, the programme tells me that some of the PDFs are password protected.

I have not added password protection to any of the documents.

The PDFs are of 12 bank statements that were all downloaded from the same bank website, so it seems unlikely that it's anything to do with the bank website.

Hoping a fix is available by now.......

Bernd Alheit

Community Expert

In Adobe Acrobat Pro combine the files as portfolio.

b_kind

Participant

I also have this problem. SMFH. I never added a password to my document. Adobe. Fix. This.

A

AmandaB87

Participant

Our office is having the same problems. PDFs that we've been copying & editing for ages, all suddenly require a password that we did not create. Stop blaming the pdf source as the issue..... it's clearly Adobe doing this

try67

Community Expert

Are you creating the files yourself, or are you receiving them from someone else? If the latter, how can you be sure that nothing changed in how they are created? Can you share a sample file with us?

K

Kathy26391450drua

Participant

Like everyone else on this thread, I'm tearing my hair out trying to sort out this demand for a password.... I've paid my subscription to Adobe for the PDF conversion software and have wasted half a day trying to convert Virgin Credit Card Statements from PDF to Excel (Why are they not allowing their statements to be downloaded in CSV format? You may well ask... ) So after two whole days wasted this week trying to download last financial year's statements in Excel to send to my accountant, I'm no closer to sorting this than I was before I paid money to Adobe for a service that is manifestly inadequate. From the sheer volume of frustrated consumers in this thread encountering the same issue, its very evident once you have taken our money you have zero interest in providing any technical support when your program does not do what it says on the label. Shame on you Adobe !!!!!

Dr Kathy Munro

Abambo

Community Expert

Hi Dr Kathy,

You are blaming the wrong person. You should blame your Virgin Credit Card issuer for issuing a statement as a PDF that is protected. As soon as you have a password protected document, you need the password to unlock certain features that the document originator wanted to disallow. It has nothing to do with Adobe.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

G

Gaylene24859124tazu

Participant

Hi is it possible to PLEASE post a simple answer to fix the issue of PDFs asking for passwords? This is really outrageous that so many customers are negatively affected by some product upgrade. We all need to get on with our work! HELP FIX THE PROBLEM YOU CREATED PLEASE.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

The people above aren't affected by an Adobe product upgrade. They are affected because files HAVE PASSWORDS which someone has put there. They don't want the passwords, but that doesn't mean Adobe have something to fix. If you feel you have a file that cannot have a password, please do the test above and post a screen shot: Open file; File > Properties. Security tab. Post shot of entire security window shown.

彥

彥良35_2

Participant

Google

已合併_google_privacy_policy_zh-TW(1).pdf

D

defaultrexem57d9jmf

Participant

Seriously, is there any solution to this other than physically printing the documents out and then re-scanning them in? I have inspection documents to combine for reports, and I can't combine files because Adobe THINKS there's a password attached. No one ever makes a password. I've talked to the software engineer that makes our inspection software and swears that DIS Inspect is not creating password protected PDF documents. I comb through the forum trying to find anything to that may help and find nothing. All I can see are tons of people complaining about the same problem. Can anyone point me in a good direction for a fix?

ANNUAL_CHECK_REPORT.pdf

try67

Community Expert

Someone, or some thing, did. This does not (and can not) happen by itself. The file is secured using a password.

try67

Community Expert

If you need proof this is not just something Acrobat "thinks", here's a screenshot from an independent PDF Debugger tool, that clearly shows the Encrypt object in the file (which is only present when the file is secured), along with the list of permissions set under it, which determine what is (and isn't) allowed to be done to it:

A

ARTforme

Participant

SAME PROBLEM WTF?????? I CANT WORK ON MY FILES

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

If the problem's the same, then it's the same thing: someone password protected your file, deliberately or by accident, and Acrobat is working just as it's supposed to. You can use File > Properties > General -- Security to double check.

Z

ZacharyGL

Participant

Revisiting this for further attention and hopefully resolution.

The 7mb publicly accessible PDF listed here

https://www.sfmta.com/maps/muni-service-map

Can be opened via web, and via the Preview app on a mac, but when anyone tries to open it in photoshop for printing, it requires a password. I tried to export it as a PDF/A with no permissions required, but it still won't open in photoshop.

I am using an up to date version of adobe photoshop 2022.