Why can't I highlight PDFs on Adobe Reader from my PC?

[edleon]

I understand that if documents don't permit it, you can't highlight. However my friend's with Mac computers can highlight on every PDF document that they try to. Yet if I try to highlight on the exact same document I can't. Why can people with Macs do this and my PC can't? We have the same updated version of Adobe Reader. I'm very confused.

[try67]

Are you sure they're using Adobe Reader, and not something else? Are they opening it in the application itself, or in a browser window?

[edleon]

Yes we're using the same version. We've tried both opening the PDFs on the application itself, and I can't highlight but they can. We just can't figure it out.

[try67]

Try comparing the preferences, especially the Security Mode settings... Also, does this happen with all files, or just some?

[edleon]

Thank you for trying to help. We have compared security mode settings and their Macs say that commenting is allowed, while mine says it's not allowed. I'm assuming this is why I can't highlight and they can. But I dont understand why they're different? The files this happens to are PDFs that our college classes assign as reading- so we all go to the same place to access these PDFs and save them, so the security modes shouldn't be different, but they are. Any idea why? Are Macs just enabled to do this for whatever reason and PCs aren't?

[pwillener]

Can you share such a PDF?  See http://forums.adobe.com/thread/918624

[try67 · Accepted solution]

Where did you see this information, exactly? Did you look under File - Properties? If so, those are not the app settings, but the file's properties. If that's the case it means the copies you have are not the same after all.

To compare the application settings you need to go to Edit - Preferences.

There's no difference in the ability to add comments to PDF files between the Mac and PC versions of Reader.

[edleon]

Oh, I understand what you're saying. No, I haven't checked that yet, but I'm sure you're right. Next time I'm with them I'll go through and compare our perferences. Thanks for the help.