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watchman2020
Participating Frequently
June 23, 2023
Question

PDF signed using Adobe Reader (Free) FILL AND SIGN editable and not locked

  • June 23, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 4652 views

I am facing problem with signing PDF using FILL AND SIGN of Adobe Reader (Free Version) that is not locked despite a warning pop-up prompt stating document signed and saved would be locked and cannot be altered. This is clearly not true because if I open same signed PDF with Adobe Acrobat Pro, the signature can be easily removed/deleted. there is no right-click function or property to lock the signature in Acrobat Reader (free version) and is only found in the Adobe Acrobat Pro. 

 

If this is a known crippled feature of Adobe Reader (free version) of being unable to lock signature and make it uneditable/unalterable, why the pop-up prompt appear to mislead user into assuming that the signed PDF is now locked. If this is clearly not the case, did I miss out any setting ? I have Googled and searched and couldn't find any relevant post anywhere on this matter but it make no sense that I am the onl person who noticed this issue with Adobe Reader (free version)

 

Any comment and insight into this is very much appreciated.

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    2 replies

    Bernd Alheit
    Bernd Alheit
    Community Expert
    June 30, 2023

    "... a warning pop-up prompt stating document signed and saved would be locked and cannot be altered. "

    What is the exact text of the message?

    W
    watchman2020Author
    Participating Frequently
    July 3, 2023

    Bernd Alheit
    Bernd Alheit
    Community Expert
    July 3, 2023

    It locks the existing form fields. It doesn't locks the whole document.

    W
    watchman2020Author
    Participating Frequently
    June 23, 2023

    I am facing problem with PDF signed using FILL AND SIGN that is not locked despite a warning pop-up prompt stating document signed and saved would be locked and cannot be altered. This is clearly not true because if I open same signed PDF with Adobe Acrobat Pro, the signature can be easily removed/deleted. there is no right-click function or property to lock the signature in Acrobat Reader (free version) and is only found in the Adobe Acrobat Pro. 

     

    If this is a known crippled feature of Adobe Reader (free version) of being unable to lock signature and make it uneditable/unalterable, why the pop-up prompt appear to mislead user into assuming that the signed PDF is now unlcoked. If this is clearly not the case, did I miss out any setting ? I have Googled and searched and couldn't find any relevant post anywhere on this matter but it make no sense that I am the onl person who noticed this issue with Adobe Reader (free version)

     

    Any comment and insight into this is very much appreciated.

    Meenakshi Negi
    Community Manager
    Meenakshi NegiCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 28, 2023

    Hi watchman2020,

     

    Thank you for reaching out.

     

    Could you please share the screenshot of the pop-up message you receive when filling out the form in Acrobat Reader?

    Also, let us know how you can modify the information added to the signed document in Acrobat.

    Screen recording of the workflow will help us to understand the workflow you refer to.

    Share the application and OS versions on your machine.

     

    Thanks,

    Meenakshi

     

    W
    watchman2020Author
    Participating Frequently
    June 29, 2023

    Dear Meenakshi,

     

    Thank you for your response. The Adobe Reader I used is 2023.003.20215. The Adobe Acrobat I used to edit the PDF is 11.0.20.

     

    I have attached a screen recording of signing and saving a simple document with the pop-up message and then editing the same PDF using Acrobat and deleting the signature. I appreciate you taking the time to analyse the issue.

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