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PDF Gets Unwanted Password Protection

There was a bug in versions of Acrobat Reader from about 2018 (example version 2018.011.20055) where certain PDF documents, when modified and saved, would be given password protection and there was no way to know what the password was, so the document could never be opened again.

There is an update for Acrobat which fixes this problem. In Acrobat Reader use Help > Check for Updates.

Similar Issue in Preview

Note: there is a similar issue with Preview version 11. Fix with:
sed -i '' -e 's/\/EncryptMetadata false/\/EncryptMetadata true/g' file.pdf




I usually write a blog post about once a week. The latest post can be viewed here: Think for Yourself: In the end, everything is just an opinion. Be skeptical, and think for yourself! (posted 2026-04-25 at 21:12:02). Or go to the Home Page of My Blog to choose a post to view.

I do podcasts too! You can listen to my latest podcast, here: OJB's Podcast 2026-04-14 How Far is that Star?: How would we really know how big the universe is? Or subscribe to my podcast RSS feed, on my RSS Feeds page.

If you're not sure what to view from the thousands of pages on my site, here are some suggestions: My Latest Airshow Report (photos and movies from Warbirds Over Wanaka, 2026), My Favourite Wines and Beers (tasting notes for some of my favourites), An Interesting Astronomical Observation (learn a bit about astronomy from these observing notes), See Some Photos (A short rail journey through the Taieri Gorge), Read Some Mac Tips (Learn about how to use your Mac, and fix some problems).

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