Can’t Open PDF Files Due to Protection – Resolved

One of the main reasons due to which people can’t open PDF documents is the protection or we can say password security. People add user-level password security in their documents so that it is restricted to open. The file can be viewed only when the correct password is entered. However, there are many PDF documents like Aadhaar card PDFs, bank statements and other files protected with a password. When users to open them either by using any web browser or by Adobe Reader a pop message will get displayed as shown below:

When PDF is opened using Adobe Reader

When PDF is opened using Google Chrome

Now, if you want to want to open your PDF documents without entering the password again & again then, the best solution is to unlock PDF files. By removing the PDF file protection you can easily open PDF files without any difficulty. Big Question is How to do it?. So, to answer this question we have described the clear solution in the next section. Go through it.

Most Reliable Solution to Resolve “Can’t Open PDF” Issue

To open your protected PDF files without any difficulty use SysTools PDF Unlocker Tool. With this software PDF file, password security can be removed. The tool is an efficient DIY utility that removes known user-level password security from PDF files. The software is capable to remove both types of protection from PDF documents i.e. user & owner level. All types of restrictions like a copy, print, edit, comment, sign, etc can be removed with the help of this tool. All those users who Can’t Open Adobe PDF files due to protection can use this program as it eliminates password security efficiently.

Key Benefits of Using this Software

• Creates an unlocked file that can be opened without any password
• Enable all PDF file permissions like edit, copy, print, form filling, etc.
• Does not require Adobe Acrobat or any other external program
• Supports all versions of Windows OS including 10
• Available for Mac OS X users & supports Mac OS X 8 & above versions
• To process multiple PDF files business or enterprise license is needed

Steps to Remove Security & Open Protected PDF Documents

If you can’t open PDF files due to protection then follow these steps. Here we have described a complete step by step process for that:

1- Download & Run the software on Windows OS

2- Click the Browse button and choose the PDF file

3- After you can also view the restrictions present in the file

4- Click Browse & select destination location to save resultant PDF

5- Hit Unlock PDF button & enter the password (i.e. required to open PDF)

6- Click OK button

7- Lastly, the process completion message gets displayed

Other Reasons Why People Can’t Open Adobe PDF Documents

If you are still facing any problem in opening the PDF file either in Google Chrome or on the computer then there could be other reasons also. Here, we have mentioned some of them:

• Outdated Acrobat or Adobe Reader
• Corrupt or Damaged PDF Documents
• Damaged Adobe Reader or Acrobat
• Chrome PDF viewer could be turned off

1- Outdated Acrobat or Adobe Reader

Installation of the latest Adobe updates might solve the “can’t open PDF” issue.

• Open Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC
• Select Help > Check for Updates
• When the Updater dialog box appears, click Yes. The update will automatically install
• Restart your computer

2- Corrupt or Damaged PDF Documents

It might be possible that the PDF file is damaged or corrupted. Therefore, the best solution is to repair it with PDF Recovery Tool.

3- Damaged Adobe Reader

One of the other reasons due to which users can’t open PDF documents is the damaged Adobe Reader.

Try to repair Adobe Acrobat / Reader using these steps:

• Click on the Help option
• Select Repair Installation

4- Chrome PDF viewer could be turned off

If your PDF files are downloading instead of opening automatically in Google Chrome then it might be possible that Chrome PDF viewer is turned off. Now, to open your PDF files in Google Chrome follow these steps

• Open the Google Chrome & click on Settings option
• At the bottom, click Advanced
• Under “Privacy and security” click Site settings
• Then, click on PDF documents
• Lastly, turn off “Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome”
• Now, Google Chrome will open PDFs automatically when you click them

Conclusion

Although there are many utilities available in the market that can help you to open your protected PDF files by removing security but they are not preferred. The main reasons are file corruption or content formatting problems. Therefore, to overcome these limitations it is suggested to use an easy application like the tool discussed here. With this software, users can easily resolve the issue “can’t open PDF”. There are no file formatting or corruption issues with this program. Users can try the free demo of the tool to evaluate its performance before finally making the buying decision.