Fixing Locked PDFs
In this instruction sheet, I am going to explain how to fix ‘locked’ PDFs. These are PDFs that you cannot make changes to either because they are a combined PDF, or because they have a docusign, etc.
First, open the PDF in question in Acrobat.
Once you have it open, you will want to click File > Print (Don’t worry, this won’t actually print the document)
This will bring up a text box that looks like this. We want to check by the second option that says All PDF Files in this Portfolio. If you do not get this text box, ignore this step.
This will bring up the print dialog box. You will need to click the drop-down arrow at the top and select Microsoft Print to PDF. Then click Print at the bottom.
After a moment, you will get a dialog box that will allow you to save the file. Choose where you want to save the file.
After this, you should be able to open the file where ever you opened it. This is a copy of the original one and it will be ‘flattened’ to where it is considered a single PDF and all signatures will be on the page.