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Check whether a PDF is encrypted, which method it uses, and what it allows people to do with it.
Drag & drop your file here
or browse from your device
This tool reads the security settings stored inside a PDF and explains them in plain language: whether the file is encrypted, which method was used, and which actions the document allows or blocks.
It also flags a few things that are easy to miss. A PDF can carry embedded scripts, attached files, and an action that runs as soon as the document opens. None of these are unusual on their own, but they are worth knowing about in a file that arrived from someone you do not know.
When a PDF blocks printing or copying, it is not physically preventing anything. The restriction is a set of flags stored inside the file that asks the viewer to hide those options. Adobe Reader and most other readers respect them, which is why they work in practice.
They are not a lock, though, and it is better to know that than to find out later. Software exists that ignores the flags entirely. If a document genuinely must stay private, a password that is required to open it is real protection, and permissions are not.
The original method, used by older software. It is now considered weak and can be broken. If your file reports RC4, it is worth protecting it again with AES-256.
Introduced with PDF 1.6 and still reasonable. Widely supported by readers old and new.
The current standard, introduced with PDF 2.0. This is the right choice unless you need to support very old software.
Drag the file onto the upload area, or browse from your device. Nothing is uploaded.
Your browser reads the security settings stored inside the file, along with anything else worth knowing about.
See whether the file is encrypted, which method it uses, and which actions it allows or blocks. Your original file is not modified.
Add your PDF and run the check. The report shows whether the file is encrypted, which method was used, and which actions the file allows or blocks.
Before printing, editing, or sending a PDF on, it helps to know what the file permits. It also tells you whether a document you received carries scripts, attachments, or an action that runs when it opens.
They are instructions stored inside the PDF that ask viewers to allow or block printing, copying, editing, annotating, form filling, and page reorganising. Most readers respect them.
Yes, and it is important to know that. Permissions are a request to the viewer rather than a lock, and tools exist that ignore them. If a document must stay private, an open password or not sending the file at all is the real protection.
RC4 is the older method and is now considered weak. AES-128 is stronger, and AES-256 is the current standard. If your file reports RC4, it is worth re-protecting it with AES-256.
The encryption details and permissions can usually still be read, because that part of the file is not itself encrypted. Some other details may be unavailable until the password is removed.
A PDF can carry scripts, other files, and an action that runs the moment it opens. These are often harmless, but they are worth knowing about in a file from a source you do not know.
No. The file is read entirely inside your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored. Your original file is not modified either.
Yes. It is completely free with no sign-up and no limits.
Continue working with your images and PDF files using these free browser based tools.