Why You Cannot Highlight or Comment on a Secured PDF and How to Fix It
Question details
The user is unable to add highlights, comments, or annotations to a PDF document due to applied security restrictions.
- Product
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to annotate, highlight, or comment on a received PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- Highlighting and commenting tools are grayed out or disabled because the document author has restricted editing and annotating.
Before proceeding, check the document properties of your PDF to verify if 'Commenting' is explicitly marked as 'Not Allowed' under the security settings.
Request an Unrestricted Copy from the Document Author
The most reliable and legitimate way to regain commenting features is to ask the original author for permission.
When a PDF is secured with a permissions password, the creator can specifically disable commenting, highlighting, and editing. PDF readers are designed to enforce these settings and cannot bypass them without the password.
Locate the contact information of the person or organization who sent you the PDF document.
Ask the author to either provide the permissions password or send a new copy of the PDF with commenting and highlighting features enabled.
Unlock Annotations Using the Permissions Password
If you are the author or were given the permissions password, you can manually remove the security restrictions.
Easily Manage PDF Permissions and Annotate with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a comprehensive PDF editor that allows you to view document security settings, unlock files with a password, and access a wide range of highlighting and commenting tools.
- 1. Open the PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your secured PDF document.
- 2. Check Permissions: Click on 'Protect' > 'Document Properties' > 'Security' to check the specific permissions applied to the file.
- 3. Unlock and Annotate: If you have the password, select 'Encrypt', remove the restrictions, and then navigate to the 'Comment' tab to highlight text.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if a PDF is secured against commenting?
Open the PDF in your reader and look for a lock icon or the word '(SECURED)' in the title bar. You can also check the Document Properties under the Security tab to see if 'Commenting' is listed as Not Allowed.
Can I bypass PDF security to highlight text without the password?
No, standard PDF readers strictly enforce the author's security settings. You must obtain the permissions password or request an unprotected copy from the author.
Why is only the highlight tool grayed out but I can still copy text?
PDF security allows authors to restrict specific actions independently. The author likely allowed text copying (content extraction) but specifically restricted editing, highlighting, and commenting.
How do I secure my own PDF to prevent others from commenting?
When saving or exporting your PDF, go to the Protect or Encryption settings. Set a Permissions Password and uncheck the option that allows commenting, filling form fields, or annotating.
