Users who rely on the Preview app in macOS for catch PDFs report that a minor modification is have major headaches . Fortunately , there ’s an well-situated hole .
The Save as PDF option in Print lets you set up gritty security on a create document .
PDF files can be protect in various style , and when using the Print map in macOS and choose the pop - up menu itemPDF > Save as PDF , you could snap Security Options and set one word for opening the text file at all , and another password for either or both cut back the ability to “ copy text , images and other content ” or to print the papers .
If the password option is set up for printing , then when you attempt to publish , you must enroll a parole ; ditto mark , copying is locked down .
However , there was an freedom of sort prior to Big Sur that Apple appears to have closed . Where mass have found a trouble is with the “ transcript text , images or other capacity ” scope : they have opened a PDF thatcanbe printed without a parole , but Big Sur forbid them from select Save as PDF — in fact , many options are grayed out in the PDF card . They desire to save a mountain chain of varlet or sure page into a unlike file .
There ’s a simple workaround , however :
break down that , consult the source that created the PDF and enquire them to send you just the pages you need or an unprotected PDF , if that ’s feasible .
This Mac 911 clause is in reception to a interrogation submit by Macworld reviewer Swami .
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