Passwords, Security & Metadata

from ironpdf import *

# Open an Encrypted File, alternatively create a new PDF from Html
pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf", "password")

# Edit file metadata
pdf.MetaData.Author = "Satoshi Nakamoto"
pdf.MetaData.Keywords = "SEO, Friendly"
pdf.MetaData.ModifiedDate = Now()

# The following code makes a PDF read only and will disallow copy & paste and printing
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption()
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("secret-key")
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserAnnotations = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserFormData = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.FullPrintRights

# Change or set the document encryption password
pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "top-secret"  # password to edit the pdf
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "sharable"  # password to open the pdf
pdf.SaveAs("secured.pdf")

Passwords, Security & Metadata

IronPDF for Python provides comprehensive control over PDF document security and metadata — including author information, keywords, passwords, and user permission restrictions.

Getting Started

Load a PdfDocument, modify properties on its MetaData and SecuritySettings objects, then save. Both metadata and security settings are applied together in a single save operation.

Metadata Properties

MetaData.Author: Sets the document author name visible in PDF properties.
MetaData.Keywords: Sets SEO-friendly keywords associated with the document.
MetaData.ModifiedDate: Records when the document was last modified. Now() inserts the current timestamp.

Security Settings

SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption(): Clears any existing passwords and encryption from the document before applying new settings.
SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly(key): Restricts editing of the document. The key is an internal signing key, not a user-facing password.
SecuritySettings.AllowUserAnnotations: When False, users cannot add annotations in a PDF viewer.
SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent: When False, prevents copying text from the PDF.
SecuritySettings.AllowUserFormData: When False, form fields cannot be filled by the user.
SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting: Controls print permissions. PdfPrintSecurity.FullPrintRights allows printing; use other values to restrict it.
SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword: Password required to edit or change security settings in a PDF viewer.
SecuritySettings.UserPassword: Password required to open and read the PDF.