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How to Change PDF Permissions (Printing, Copying, Editing)

Updated July 13, 2026

Sometimes a document should be readable by anyone but not printable or copyable by everyone — a report you’re happy to circulate but don’t want lifted verbatim into someone else’s file, for instance.

Steps

  1. Drop your PDF above.
  2. Tick what to allow; anything left unticked is blocked.
  3. Click Apply, then download the PDF.

What each toggle controls

Leaving a box ticked allows that action, unticking it blocks it: printing controls whether the document can be printed at all, copying controls text selection and extraction, and editing controls changes and form filling. These choices apply across the whole document, and the file is re-encrypted with a hidden random owner password so the flags actually bind — but it stays openable by anyone, with no password prompt.

The limits of permission flags

Standard PDF viewers respect these settings, but they’re a convention, not a lock — someone with the right software can strip the flags. If you need a real barrier rather than a polite one, Protect PDF requires an actual password just to open the file.

Notes

Everything runs locally with the open-source qpdf engine. An already-encrypted PDF needs to be unlocked first — see Unlock PDF — before you can set new permissions on it.

Tools in this guide

Frequently asked questions

Will people need a password to open the file afterward?
No. The file stays freely openable — you're only setting what readers are allowed to do with it, enforced by a hidden random owner password behind the scenes.
How strong is this kind of protection?
Permission flags are honored by well-behaved PDF viewers, but they aren't unbreakable — someone determined with the right tools can override them. For genuine confidentiality, add an open password instead.
Can I set permissions on a file that's already encrypted?
Not directly — unlock it first, then apply new permissions to the unlocked result.