How to stop people copying text from a PDF

You can set a PDF to restrict copying, but you cannot guarantee that nobody will reproduce what they can see. PDF restrictions can discourage casual copying in compatible software, but screenshots, optical character recognition, and retyping can get around them.

To set a copy restriction, use Protect PDF. It adds password protection with AES-256 encryption and can limit copying, printing, and editing. The file is handled in your browser and is not uploaded.

Restrict copying in your PDF

1. Open Protect PDF and select the PDF you want to protect.
2. Choose a strong, unique password for the protection settings. If the tool offers an opening password as well, decide whether readers should need a password just to view the file.
3. Turn off copying or text extraction in the available permissions. Keep other permissions, such as printing or editing, enabled only if readers need them.
4. Apply the protection and save the result as a new PDF. Keep the original file unchanged so you can still edit or share an unrestricted copy if needed.
5. Open the protected copy in a PDF reader and try selecting and copying a line of text. If the PDF will go to someone else, test it in the same reader they are likely to use.

Do not confuse a password required to open a PDF with a restriction on copying. An opening password controls who can view the file until they enter it. A copying restriction asks compatible PDF software not to let a reader copy or extract its text. For more about these password roles, see PDF owner password vs. user password: what each stops.

Choose restrictions that fit the document

Turn off copying

Use this when you want to make casual selection and copy-and-paste harder. It can help with a handout or document you want people to read without easily copying its text. It is a permission setting, not a way to make the words disappear from the page.

Require a password to open

An opening password adds a barrier before someone can read the document. Use a password that is difficult to guess, and send it separately from the PDF. If you send both in the same message, someone who gets access to that message may get both.

Limit printing or editing

These are separate permissions. If readers need to print the document, leave printing allowed. If they need to fill in a form or edit content, check the effect of the editing restriction before sharing. Adding restrictions that interfere with the intended use can create problems without stopping someone determined to copy the information.

Only restrict the actions you actually need to restrict. A recipient may need to copy a passage for a screen reader, translation, notes, or another legitimate task. When that matters, check the document with the people who will use it before sending the restricted version.

What a copy restriction cannot stop

PDF permissions work by telling compatible software which actions are allowed. Many common PDF readers respect these settings, but another program may ignore them or handle them differently. A permission warning is not proof that the text is impossible to extract.

• Screenshots: Someone who can view a page can capture the screen or take a photo of it with another device.
• OCR: Optical character recognition can turn words in a screenshot or scanned page back into editable text.
• Retyping: A person can manually enter text they can read, even if copying is disabled.
• Other software: Some software may not honor the PDF's copy restriction, especially if it can access the document's contents another way.

Encryption protects the PDF file from being read without the required password, when an opening password is set. Once someone has opened the document, a copy restriction cannot control what they do with information displayed on their screen. It is not a substitute for secure access controls or a guarantee against redistribution.

If the information must not be disclosed, do not send it in a viewable PDF to someone who should not see it. Remove confidential content from the copy before sharing, or provide only the pages or details the recipient needs. Drawing a black box over text is not the same as permanently removing that text.

If copying still works

The PDF was not saved with the restrictions

Reopen the saved output rather than testing the original file. Confirm that you selected the copy restriction before applying protection, then save and test the protected copy again.

One reader allows copying

PDF readers do not all behave the same way. Try a different standard reader and check the document on the device your recipient will use. If copying remains possible in their software, assume the restriction will not prevent it for that person.

You need stronger control over access

Use an opening password when you need to limit who can view the file, and share that password through a separate channel. For particularly sensitive information, share less of it rather than relying on a PDF permission flag.

Before sending a protected PDF, test the saved copy and make sure its restrictions do not block necessary reading, printing, or accessibility tasks. Treat copy protection as a deterrent, not as a promise that the text cannot be reproduced.