PDF Permissions
Choose whether a PDF may be printed, copied from or edited, and download a copy that carries those permissions. Runs entirely in your browser.
How to use the PDF Permissions
- 01
Drop a PDF. It is read in your browser and never uploaded.
- 02
Choose what readers may print, copy and change.
- 03
Set an owner password and download the copy that carries those permissions.
What it does
This tool writes reader permissions into a PDF: whether it may be printed, whether its text may be selected and copied, and how far a reader may go in changing it. You get back a copy of the document carrying those settings, with every page, font and image untouched.
It is the tool to reach for when a document should circulate freely but you want to state plainly how it is meant to be used, for example a report that people may read and print but not lift text out of, or a draft that reviewers may comment on but not edit.
Permissions require encryption, and an owner password
A PDF can only carry permissions if it is encrypted. There is nowhere else in the file for them to live, so setting permissions always produces an encrypted document. That sounds heavier than it is.
The user password stays empty, which means the file opens with no prompt, exactly as before. What the encryption adds is a recorded statement of what a reader may do, plus an owner password that gates changing that statement. Without an owner password there would be no encryption, and therefore no permissions, which is why the field is required.
What each setting controls
Printing allows or blocks sending the document to a printer. Copying allows or blocks selecting text and pulling it out of the document.
Changes is a ladder with three rungs. None makes the document read only. Annotations only lets a reviewer comment and highlight without touching the content, which is what most review workflows actually want. Anything permits full editing.
There is no fourth state in which editing is allowed but commenting is not, because the permission bits cannot express it. A tool that offers you that checkbox is not telling you the truth about the format.
Permissions are not DRM
It is worth being blunt about this, because plenty of tools are not. Permission bits ask a reader to behave. They do not enforce anything, and they cannot: the content is right there in the file, and any program willing to look can read it. That is also why the companion remove-restrictions tool works without a password.
Use permissions to tell people what you intend. Use a real password, via the PDF protect tool, when the content must be withheld from anyone who does not have it.
Nothing is uploaded
The document and the owner password stay on your device. The rewrite happens in the browser with QPDF compiled to WebAssembly, so the only copy of the result is the one you download.
Frequently asked questions
Will people need a password to open the file?
No. The user password is left empty, so the document opens exactly as it did before. The owner password you type is only needed by someone who wants to change these permissions again.
Do PDF permissions actually stop anyone?
They are a request, not a lock. Permissions are a flag set inside the file, and a reader that follows the PDF specification honours them. Most mainstream readers do. Software that chooses to ignore them can, and some does. Treat permissions as a clear statement of intent, not as security. If the content itself must be unreadable without a password, use the PDF protect tool instead.
Why do I have to set an owner password?
Because a PDF can only carry permissions inside an encrypted document, and the format has nowhere to store encryption without an owner password. The owner password is the credential that unlocks the settings later, so leaving it blank would mean the permissions had no owner at all. The engine refuses that, and so does this tool.
Why can I not allow editing while blocking annotations?
The format cannot express that combination. PDF treats changes as a ladder with three rungs: nothing, annotations only, or anything. Allowing general edits necessarily allows annotations, so this tool offers the three states that really exist rather than inventing a fourth.
Does blocking copying stop screen readers?
No. Alongside the copy permission the format keeps a separate carve-out that allows text extraction for accessibility, and this tool leaves that carve-out in place. Assistive technology can still read the document.
Is my PDF or password uploaded?
No. The PDF and the owner password are processed entirely in your browser using QPDF compiled to WebAssembly, and never leave your device.
Sources
Embed this tool
Add this tool to your own website. Copy the snippet below; it stays up to date automatically.
<iframe src="https://monu.tools/embed/en/pdf-permissions" width="100%" height="640" style="border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:12px;max-width:680px" loading="lazy" title="Monu Tools"></iframe>Related tools
Remove Restrictions
Lift printing, copying and editing restrictions from a PDF that already opens without a password. Runs entirely in your browser.
Linearize PDF
Rewrite a PDF for fast web view, so a reader can display the first page before the whole file has downloaded. Runs entirely in your browser.
Unlock PDF
Remove the password from a PDF you can open, and download an unlocked copy with all content intact. Runs entirely in your browser.
Protect PDF
Add a password to a PDF with strong AES-256 encryption, so only people with the password can open it. Runs entirely in your browser.