Macs come with everything you need to strip permission restrictions from your own PDFs, no downloads, no subscriptions. The built-in Preview app can re-export a restricted file into a clean copy, and the print system offers a reliable fallback. Here's how to do both, and where the limits are.
Method 1: Re-export with Preview
When a PDF opens normally but blocks copying or editing, Preview can write out a fresh copy that drops the owner-password flags:
- Open the PDF in Preview (double-click, or right-click → Open With → Preview).
- Choose File → Export. If you only see "Export as PDF," hold the Option key while opening the File menu.
- Leave the Encrypt box unchecked so the new file has no restrictions.
- Give it a new name and click Save.
The exported file should now allow copying and editing. Preview preserves the underlying text in most cases, so selection still works, an advantage over pure print-to-image methods.
Method 2: Print → Save as PDF
For a print-allowed file you own, the macOS print dialog can flatten it into a new, unrestricted PDF:
- Open the file and press Cmd + P.
- Click the PDF dropdown at the bottom-left of the print dialog.
- Choose Save as PDF.
- Name the file and save. The copy carries none of the original permission flags.
As with any print-to-PDF approach, pages may be rendered as images, which can drop selectable text. If you need the text to stay selectable, prefer Method 1.
What Preview can't do
- It won't open, let alone unlock, a file protected by a Document Open password you don't have. Preview will simply ask for the password.
- Very complex or form-heavy PDFs can shift layout or lose interactive fields on re-export.
If a password box appears before you can see the document, you're dealing with encryption, not just restrictions, see how PDF encryption works.