With the advancement of technology, information security is increasingly important for everyone using online services for business and personal reasons. An extra layer of protection for your PDFs can help you control who can view, modify, and print them. This article discusses how secured PDF files and e-signed files with electronic signatures can add a layer of protection. We will also show you how to sign a secured PDF.
Electronically or e-signing solutions are an easy way to prevent forgery and fraud while simultaneously ensuring the authenticity of digital documents like PDFs.
A portable document format (PDF) is a standard file type that enables users to access, present, and exchange documents. PDFs can store write-ups, book pages, links, online sites, and images without too much space.
PDFs can also be accessed with hardware, software, and operating systems such as macOS or Windows. Furthermore, you can save almost any document as a PDF by scanning the document in question or through computer software.
A secured PDF is a protected PDF. That means users are restricted from changing or performing certain actions on it. The PDF can be encrypted or require an access code in these cases.
Organizations use secured PDFs to assure clients that their documents are authentic. The document is locked or protected if the PDF is signed with a digital ID or certificate to prevent changes. This protection is especially useful for legal and commercial contracts.
PDF documents are secured to protect copyrighted documents, secure integrity, and authenticity when signing contracts, and prevent forgery and unauthorized people from viewing and modifying signed and classified data.
PDFs can have different levels of security based on your own needs. These features can be simple while triggering sophisticated measures to limit those who can view and edit the file.
Here are two common ways to protect documents:
You can use a password to protect a PDF. This measure restricts a PDF to only certain users. You can also use password protection to limit those who can edit and print the document. However, password protection does not prevent unauthorized users from creating digital copies of password-protected PDFs. There are two kinds of passwords:
A “Document Open” password. This allows a user to open and view the file.
A “Permissions” password. This can change permission details or settings. This measure also restricts the printing, copying, and editing of PDFs. Within this, you can configure permissions settings so anyone can view your file but only have limited functionalities. Unauthorized people cannot change the PDF’s settings if you set a password for your file.
An encrypted PDF protects its contents from unauthorized users. This mechanism uses access codes and encryption to hide data within the file, and only authorized users can see the encoded data using a password. Encryption requires two vital pieces of data: the cipher or algorithm and the key which allows them to decrypt the data.
You no longer have to print, sign, and scan a file to sign it. Instead, you can use an electronic signature to fill up and sign your documents. This process can be done through certain configurations and security settings.
First, you must check the security settings. If the file is a password-protected PDF document, go to the “File” tab of Adobe Reader and click on “Properties.” Peruse the settings, then change the level of permissions.
If the PDF is encrypted, you need special software to view the encrypted data and the file. Luckily, software programs and apps can help you sign all PDFs–even encrypted ones.
There are several ways to sign a secured PDF. One of the most basic methods is by entering a password. Knowing the document password can help you view its contents, but some documents may require an additional permissions password before you can execute more advanced functions.
If you can only view password-protected PDFs, use your “permissions password” to change the permission settings and sign the document.
But what if you don’t have the password? Here are two of the easiest ways to sign secured PDFs electronically.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is the go-to software for all your PDFs. It’s also one of the easiest solutions for signing PDF documents. Follow these simple steps:
Signaturely is a popular, free online signature app that helps users e-sign any document–even a secured PDF. A paid version of the app offers even more advanced features. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to sign a PDF file with Signaturely:
Signaturely is the newest e-signature program compared to Adobe software like Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and Adobe Reader DC. While Adobe Reader DC and Acrobat are ubiquitous and recognizable options, Signaturely has its trademarks for secure and efficient e-signatures. It was solely created for this purpose.
Here, we explain why Signaturely deserves industry recognition when it comes to routing and e-signing PDFs:
Signaturely tracks PDFs and updates all signatories on who still needs to sign. The owner, for instance, receives live reminders about who has not yet opened the document and who is signing it.
Another feature why Signaturely Users prefer Signaturely over Adobe Reader DC software is that it keeps all of their documents in one place. There is no need to look through your Mac or Windows folders to review your documents. Logging in to your free Signaturely account allows you to find them all in one link.
Signaturely creates a legal audit log of all your unsigned documents. It saves critical data from all your PDFsand signatories so that you will always have access to a backup of your important documents.
Are you frustrated because you can’t sign a secured PDF document? It may be because you don’t have permission to access the file. The PDF may be configured with read-only access, or you do not have the right password.
If your Adobe Reader document grants you authorized access and you cannot sign a secured PDF, you may need to ask the sender to modify its permission settings. After updating the document, you can download the file again and see if the problem has been fixed.
Many have posted questions about secured PDFs. Here, we gathered some of the most common questions:
Acrobat, Adobe Reader DC, and Adobe Acrobat Reader DC all have to unlock buttons for unlocking documents. The lock icon is located in the upper left corner. Click on this unlock button to undo a file’s security settings.
You can unsecure a secured PDF and save it as unsecured. There are two paths you can use. For Adobe Acrobat Pro, you need to know the password for unsecuring the file. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat Pro since it is the only version that allows you to do the following steps:
You can also use Google Chrome to convert a secured PDF document into an unsecured one. Chrome has a built-in PDF reader, which allows you to sign documents using the fill sign tools, but this reader requires you to have authority to access the file and printing it. Here’s how to do it:
Once saved, a duplicate file will be created without the same restrictions.
You can remove a signature by opening the file in Adobe Acrobat. Right-click on the signature you want to eliminate. Then, click on “Clear Signature.” If you need to remove someone else’s signature, you’ll have to ask the signatory to do so using the above process.
With e-signature tools like Signaturely, having secure and e-signed documents need not be complicated. Easy access to software, online services, and tools has made it possible to save, edit, print, and create secure digital files from alterations and forgery.
All you need to do is pick a tool that works for you and your team. As you can see, anyone with online access can now use e-signature tools easily and quickly.
Work faster and more efficiently with secure and legally binding eSignatures. Create your free account today!