How to remove PDF restrictions on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
To remove restrictions from a PDF on a Mac, select it and run Sign & Lock › Remove restrictions in FileDial. Printing, copying and form filling are allowed again. It is meant for PDFs that open without a password, and it saves a new copy locally. Only use it on files you may modify.
Two different kinds of PDF protection
A PDF can be protected in two ways, and they need different tools. One is a password to open, where you cannot see the file at all without it. The other is a set of permissions, where the file opens normally but printing, copying text or editing is switched off. Many invoices, forms and reports from institutions use the second kind.
Sign & Lock › Remove restrictions is for the second kind. Its note says printing, copying and form filling are allowed again, and that it is for PDFs that open without a password. If you need the password to open the file, the tool for that is Sign & Lock › Remove password…, which asks for the password you already know.
Remove restrictions with FileDial
Run it on a copy, and check the result.
- Select the restricted PDF in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key to open the dial and choose the Sign & Lock category.
- Release on Sign & Lock › Remove restrictions.
- Open the new copy and try to print, select text, or fill a field.
- Keep the original so you retain the document exactly as issued.
When it is fine to do this, and when it is not
Use it on files that belong to you or that you have permission to change: your own documents that you locked and forgot, a scan from a colleague who set permissions by default, a form you need to fill. Do not use it to get around restrictions on a document you have no right to copy or alter, such as a licensed publication or a document with a legal restriction. Permissions in a PDF are a signal of the author's intent, and the law and contract terms vary.
We do not give legal advice. If you are unsure whether you may copy or change a file, ask the owner.
- Your own file: fine.
- A file shared with you with permission to edit: fine.
- Licensed or confidential material with no permission: do not.
What it does not do
It does not guess passwords. If the PDF needs a password to open, nothing here opens it without the password. It also does not change what the PDF says; it only changes what actions the viewer allows. And it does not undo a redaction: if text was removed properly, it is gone.
Digitally signed files are a separate case. A certificate signature breaks when the file is changed, which is the design. Sign & Lock › Verify signatures writes a .txt report with the signer, the time, whether it is valid and whether the file changed since signing.
The reverse: set permissions yourself
If you want to give people a file they can read and print but not change, Sign & Lock › Set permissions… does that: the file opens normally, while printing, copying and editing follow your choices. And Sign & Lock › Add password… adds a password to open the file. Permissions are a deterrent, not strong secrecy, so do not rely on them to protect something sensitive. For that, use a password and a proper encryption approach, and see our password-protect guide.
A worked example: a form that will not print
A school sends a permission slip as a PDF that opens fine but the print command is greyed out. Run Remove restrictions on a copy, open the new file, and print. The same applies to a bank statement from which you need to copy a table of figures; after the restriction is gone you can select text, or convert it with Convert › PDF to Excel.
If after removing restrictions you still cannot select text, you are looking at a scan. That is a separate fix: run OCR › Make searchable, which adds an invisible text layer to pages without text, and try again. Distinguishing these two causes saves a lot of confusion.
Running the tool on a file that needs a password and expecting it to open is the usual one. Another is assuming that a restriction means the content is encrypted for secrecy; permissions are typically honored by well-behaved apps rather than enforced by strong protection. A third is removing restrictions and then forgetting the new copy lacks them: if you share it onward, the permissions are gone. If that matters, set them again with Set permissions…
Honest alternatives on a Mac
Preview shows when a PDF is locked, and Apple's guide to locking PDFs and images explains the lock feature in Preview. If a PDF is locked for editing, Preview may refuse changes. If you have the original source document, ask for an unrestricted export instead; that is the cleanest route and needs no tools.
Restricted PDFs are often official documents. Uploading one to unlock it exposes the whole file. FileDial removes the restriction on your Mac and writes a new copy.
Questions
Can I remove restrictions from a PDF that needs a password to open?
Remove restrictions is for PDFs that open without a password. If the file needs a password to open, use Sign & Lock › Remove password… and enter the password you have. Nothing in FileDial recovers a lost password, so keep it safe.
Why can't I copy text from my PDF?
Either the PDF has permissions switched off for copying, or it is a scan with no text to copy. Check which: if text selection highlights nothing at all, it is probably a scan, so use OCR › Make searchable. If it highlights but copy fails, use Remove restrictions.
Is it legal to remove PDF restrictions?
That depends on the file, your rights to it and where you live, and we cannot give legal advice. Removing restrictions from your own documents is ordinary. For someone else's licensed or confidential material, get permission from the owner before changing it.