Print protected PDF – this is how it works

Some PDF files are so protected that they cannot be printed. We show you the trick you can use to print out any protected PDF file.

Open and print protected PDFs via web app

With the free web app Smallpdf you can convert your encrypted PDF file into a printable file.

• To do this, open Smallpdf’s “Remove PDF Password” tool in your browser.

• Click on “Select file” and select the protected PDF document on your PC that you want to print.

Then confirm that you are authorised to unlock the file by ticking it and confirm with “Remove PDF password”. The file is then converted into an unprotected PDF file.

• To print the PDF file, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + P” in the browser and make the desired print settings there.

Alternatively, you can save the file on your computer using the “Download” button and open it locally. You can then print the file via your PDF viewer by clicking on “File” and “Print…”

Print protected PDF file with programme

If you don’t want to upload your protected PDF to the Internet to convert it into an unprotected file, you can also use programs like Foxit PDF Reader.

• To make the file printable, open the protected file in the PDF reader and click on “File” and “Save as”.

• Click on “Browse” and now navigate to the desired location of the new file. Enter a file name of your choice and click on “Save”.

• Open the converted file in Foxit PDF Reader. Here you can now print the file as usual via “File” and “Print”.

Alternative screenshots of protected PDF files

If it is only a PDF document with very few pages, you can alternatively take a screenshot of the pages.

• Open the PDF file in any programme and press the [Print] key on your keyboard. A screenshot of your current screen will now be copied to the clipboard.

• You can then paste the screenshot into Paint by pressing [Ctrl] + [V].

• To print the file, select “File” in Paint and finally “Print…”.