PDF Files suddenly password protected

[yjalali]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum so I hope I'm posting this in the right place!

I'm having some issues with Preview. Yesterday I was trying to save some pdf files from a password protected presentation from a professor so I can study them more easily, and I had to "unlock" them with PDF Password Remover, which worked. Now I'm having trouble saving normal PDF files, for instance my bank statement. I contacted my bank because this is the first time I've tried saving my bank statements this way (just switched to paper-free banking) and they told me that I have to type in my mac's password to save the file. I tried that, thinking it was some sort of safety measure from the bank, but no, it's not my user password... I told her that, and she said it's not my user password, but rather the one I set up for PDF files. I don't know how that is possible because I never set one up in the first place.

Does anyone know what is going on here, and can they tell me how to set up Preview again so that I don't have to type in a password that I never set?

Thanks!

 

[Kaveman]

Passwords are set by the creator of the PDF, not Preview unless you do a Duplicate, or Save As. Some PDFs creators want the encryption but not the password so they leave the password blank. It is normal for an App to open those PDFs by using the blank password any thing else it will prompt you for the password.

To create a PDF with a Password, Click the Encrypt checkbox on the Save sheet.

Sorry there is no way we can help you with passwords on documents.

 

[yjalali]

Passwords are set by the creator of the PDF

That's the thing, I called my bank, who would presumably be the creator of the PDF, and they said the problem is on my end. I feel like I somehow screwed up some settings on my computer when I tried to save the password encrypted PDF file yesterday so that now all PDF files are encrypted, even when they shouldn't be.

I have no idea where to look on my computer to change such a setting if it does exist. I never set a password, and neither did my bank, so I should be able to save my bank statement.

 

[Kaveman]

I feel like I somehow screwed up some settings on my computer

sorry but it doesn't work like that.

You can delete the Library > Preferences > com.apple.preview.plist there may be 3 of them, delete them all.

If you made an Encrypted PDF than it will have a password. The Password may be empty, just press ok when it ask for the password, to see if its blank.

If you didn't set a password on the document, but it asks for a password, and it not just blank then the creator of the PDF must have put it there.

Sorry, but thats the way it works.

 

[Pavitra]

Ok ... Almost 10 years after....
But truth must prevail ... Kaveman was WRONG... I also underwent such predicament as Yjalali.. Whereas, for monthes, I was able to open copy-paste from my bank statements to Excel (for accountancy purposes) SUDDENLY at the time of copying again any line or figure from the SAME statements, Lo ! A password was required ! Of course I asked help from my bank which also answered they didn't put or required any. Luckily I found this advice : https://thegeekpage.com/remove-password-from-a-password-protected-pdf-file/ with didn't offered the solution but provided inspiration. Proceed like this : 1- Open the faulty pdf file in Safari. Already from here I was able to copy-paste again (in your face Kaveman for being so assertive), but since for me it was more convenient to batch open all monthes of a year in Preview (oh, by the way it was the same problem with Acrobat), I "converted" said pdf to pdf again (!) using not the Export menu option of Safari but the Print to PDF function from the File Menu. And sure it worked also from there. This said it would be nice if anyone could provide the reason why the bug happened in the first place...

 

[Meanie McBeanie]

Literally 10 years later:

Kaveman, but you are seriously WRONG. "sorry but it doesn't work like that" - well apparently it does...


I am the only person with access to my computer. I am the only user.
I have a PDF that I created with information for one of my classes - no personal info, bank account stuff, etc.
I went back to open it today and it is randomly password protected... Which I did not do.
Literally, I made this PDF but I did not put a password on it - also, the password is not blank and it does not even let me "push okay" when it is blank.

I tried the steps that Pavitra recommended and no such luck. It won't even let me try to print it or open it in Safari. I cannot export it to any file type. Nothing has worked. Pavitra, agreed.. I wish someone would say what happened and provide a way to fix it..

I will just have to restore it from a previous version and redo a ton of work.
Only posting this as a middle finger to Kaveman for being rude and arrogant to someone who was just asking for help.

 

[daledesilva]

I can also confirm that this has happened to me. I haven't figured out a solution yet.

I use dropbox and PDF expert on iPad, so either one of those created the issue.
I created annotations on the PDF many times with PDF Expert and was always able to open it again on computer and in PDF Expert.
The problem seems to have arisen after then putting the file in a subfolder - so perhaps osX has done this during this process, or Dropbox has.
I also upgraded osX to Sonoma since accessing the file last, so this might have something to do with it.

There are two PDF files in the same folder that this has happened to - situation was the same for both.

I've tried opening in Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Acrobat, but in all it still asks for password.
I've tried the word 'password' and my computer pin, but no dice.

Finally, I looked at the original folder location on dropbox.com to see if I can recover the original file from before I moved it to a different folder, but it had been too long

EDIT: Turns out it wasn't to do with putting them into a folder, as I was able to find an earlier version in the same folder on dropbox that still works properly. So it's one of the other variables. Interestingly, the new version with password is 15mb and the original version is 3.9mb.

 

[Bisque]

I'm having the same issue! It doesn't happen on every PDF I create but certain times when I have downloaded something and save it as a PDF, I will try to open it or send it to someone and it will be password protected. I created the PDF but I did nothing to encrypt it or make it password protected. I do not have the password. It is not my Mac password. I'm going crazy. Did you ever get this figured out?

 

[Sad_Mac]

Passwords are set by the creator of the PDF, not Preview unless you do a Duplicate, or Save As. Some PDFs creators want the encryption but not the password so they leave the password blank. It is normal for an App to open those PDFs by using the blank password any thing else it will prompt you for the password.

To create a PDF with a Password, Click the Encrypt checkbox on the Save sheet.

Sorry there is no way we can help you with passwords on documents.

Except for when it does, on save. It's a widely known bug in Preview, if not by Apple. If it's set by Preview on save as, as you imply, what password does it use if there wasn't any before? It's not the system password and it's not blank/null.