Nazaudy, a spark in your curious mind

This document has been signed and cannot be edited

When right-click on the area of a PDF in Adobe Pro DC, and try to edit it by selecting "Add Text", you most likely will be presented with this dreadful error message from Adobe Acrobat: "This document has been signed and can not be edited"

This document has been signed and cannot be edited

 

To solve this problem and edit a signed pdf, do as follows:

  1. Right-click the PDF document, and choose to open it with Google Chrome
  2. Print the file within Chrome as PDF
  3. Open the printed file on Adobe Pro DC, and edit it

 

1.- Right-click the PDF document, and choose to open it with Google Chrome

Obviously, close the file first, then right-click on it and choose the option to Open With Google Chrome

Open Acrobat document with Google Chrome

 

2.- Print the file within Chrome as PDF

Once you have the file open in Chrome, choose to print it as PDF, which by definition save the file as PDF. During the save process, the restriction on the file that causes the error message "This document has been signed and cannot be edited" will be removed, and you'll be able to edit the printed version of the document

Print signed document to PDF

 

3.- Open the printed file on Adobe Pro DC, and edit it

Open the printed file on DC >> right-click on the area and choose "Add Text" >> type whatever you like to save the file; in my example I typed "Invoice not paid"

 

Edit PDF document

 

 

 

All done!

Unfortunately, on this occasion, the Adobe Forums did not help me out at all when I searched them for the error message "This document has been signed and cannot be edited":

It was a relief when I discovered how easy it is to solve this issue, so I documented and decided to share it in here. Everything is easy once you know how to do it, ah? :)

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London,

24 July 2020 

 

If you liked this hack of mine about how to solve the error message of "This document has been signed and cannot be edited", here there are others that may be of your interest!

 

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