

Next, click on it ONCE, and then go to the File menu and choose “Get Info.” Shortcut: ⌘-I (that’s a capital I, not the number 1.How to change the app that opens when you double-click a particular PDF Acrobat and Preview can both do it, but Preview does it faster and nicer, so let’s see how we can make that happen. Most of the time, though, all we want to do is double-click a PDF and have a look at it. Using the Preview app is a treat, with plenty of groovy features under the hood should you care to go deep. Second punishment: by using Acrobat, you’re NOT using Apple’s built-in, elegant, powerful, joy-to-use Preview app. I wouldn’t make my dog use Acrobat Reader. If you cant open a PDF on your computer, try the suggestions below in the order they appear. Every version of Acrobat Reader is misery to use: slow to launch, clumsy to operate, thousands of indecipherable options in the Preferences dialog, and very “un-Mac-like.” First punishment: Adobe’s punishing your by making you use Acrobat Reader (or Acrobat Reader DC, or Acrobat Reader Pro DC, or maybe an older version of Acrobat Reader). (Apple calls it the “owner” password Adobe, the “permissions” password.If Acrobat Reader has taken over your PDFs you’re being doubly punished.

The password that opens a file doesn’t allow its possessor to modify a PDF’s permissions-only the owner password has that privilege. When you choose File > Duplicate and then save the file, choose File > Export > PDF, or File > Export as PDF, or hold down Option and choose File > Save As, Preview’s options in the Save dialog no longer include the password fields, replacing them with a Permissions button.Ĭlick this button, and you can separately set Require Password To Open Document at the top and Owner Password at the bottom. It means that closing and reopening Adobe Acrobat without closing these processes wont count as a fresh start. Close Background Processes and Give Adobe a Fresh Start Many processes continue to run in the background even after we close the program. Any additional file controls had to be set in another program.īy adding PDF-level permission control to Preview, Apple also had to update how you set a password for the file. When you are unable to open any of the PDF files, you can proceed to the below fixes. However, this password only controlled whether someone possessing it could open the file. Monterey changes up the PDF permissions game, starting with the Save dialog.īefore Monterey, Preview let you set a password when you used File > Save As for a PDF file or chose File > Export as PDF.
