Enable or disable protected view

Last updated on Sep 23, 2025

Learn how to enable or disable protected view in Adobe Acrobat.

Unlike Protected Mode in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Protected View in Acrobat is turned off by default. When enabled, it helps protect your system from potentially harmful PDFs, but some features may be limited until you mark the document as trusted.

Select Menu > Preferences.

Select Security (Enhanced) under Categories.

Choose one of the following Protected View options:

Off: Disables protected view
Files from potentially unsafe locations: Enables protected view and displays a warning for all files originating from an untrusted location
All files: Enables protected view for all files you open

Note

Files and locations that you add to the Privileged Locations area of the Enhanced Security panel are exempt from Protected View.

Security preferences dialog in Acrobat showing Protected View settings and trusted site options for managing file safety. — Adjust Protected View and privileged locations under security preferences to control file access from unsafe sources and manage trust settings.

Select OK to save the changes.

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Protected View and Protected Mode overview

Bypass protected view restrictions

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