Secure Multiple PDF Files
You may have done a lot of searching on this subject but have not yet found one simple solution. Password protecting or securing one PDF file is easy enough using Adobe Acrobat, if you know where to look. However, you may have found yourself in need of securing more than one PDF file but after endlessly looking through the different menus, you cannot find how to do it. So, I am going to show you how to secure and protect multiple PDF files using the current version of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Version 2015.010.20060).
*Before you begin, please make a copy of the PDF files you wish to secure and put them into one folder.
1.) Please download and install the trial of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC by clicking on the following link:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/free-trial-download.html
And then select “Get Started”.
2.) Once installed, open the program and click on the “Tools” menu.
3.) Scroll down and press on “Action Wizard”. Then select “New Action”.
4.) On the left-hand pane, under “Choose tools to add”, click on “Protection” and this will open some other options. Click on “Encrypt” then press the plus/arrow symbol to add the tool to the right-hand pane.
Once again, on the left-hand pane, click on “Save & Export” and this will open other options. Click on “Save” and then press the plus/arrow symbol to add the tool to the right-hand pane.
5.) On the right-hand pane, click on Encrypt and uncheck “Prompt User”. Then select “Specify Settings” and choose the required security method – in this demonstration, I will be setting up password security with some document restrictions.
6.) Under Document Open section, check the box stating “Require a password to open the document”.
– Enter a password that will later be used to open the PDF files.
– Under Permissions section, check the box “Restrict editing and printing of the document…” – Specify which restrictions you would like for the PDF file, enter a Change Permissions Password and click “OK”.
– It will then prompt you to confirm the document open password and change permission password.
7.) Click “Save” and enter an Action Name to save.
8.) Now you have created an Action that will secure and save multiple PDF files. On the right-hand menu, under Actions List, click on your Action. I have named my Action as “Secure Multiple PDFs”.
9.) Click on “Add Files…”, then select all of the PDF files you would like to secure and press “Open”.
– When you are ready, press start to begin the process.
It may take a few minutes, depending on how many files you have selected. Once complete, all of the files will be saved and when you open any of the files with Adobe Reader or similar, you will be prompted for the password to open the file and any restrictions you have specified will be enabled.
