How to Print a Locked PDF in Google Drive

Want to print a locked PDF file? If yes, you have stumbled upon the right webpage. In this article, we are going to cover guides on how to print a locked PDF file in Google Drive.

So, without any further ado, let’s get started –

Table of Contents

How to Print a Locked PDF in Google Drive

PDF is the most popular file format for documents and is commonly used to store both professional and personal documents.

One of the main reasons PDF is such a popular file format is because it restricts people without authorization from editing the format or data of the file.

Not only that, but PDF supports plenty of methods to keep your data secure and safe. For example, you can secure a PDF file using a password or completely disable the print option for your file.

If you are dealing with any of such locked files where the owner has disabled the print function, this article is going to be very helpful for you.

Here I am going to share a few methods that you can follow to print a locked PDF file in Google Drive.

Read How to Embed PDFs from Google Drive

How to print a Locked PDF in Google Drive that is Password Protected

So, if you have a password-protected PDF file, you have to follow these simple steps to print it using Google Drive.

Go to drive.google.com.
Click on the + New icon and select the file upload option.
Locate the file on your computer, select it and upload it.
Once the file is uploaded, you have to double-click on the file to open it.
Since the file is password-protected, Google Drive will ask you to enter the password. Enter the password and click on the Submit button.

This will open the file for you. At the top right corner, you will see a print option. You have to click on it to initiate the printing process.

Here, you simply have to select your printer and click on the Print button.

That’s it. It will initiate the printing process, and if you’ve selected the right printer, the print process will complete within a minute.

However, note that you need to have their password to print password-protected PDF files in Google Drive. Google Drive cannot help you crack the password of your PDF files.

Read How to Convert Image to PDF in Google Drive

How to print a Print-Locked PDF in Google Drive

Apart from password protection, another popular method to protect a PDF file is disabling the print option. You can open these files like regular PDFs but will not be able to print them.

However, you can print these files very easily with the help of Google Drive. All you have to do is follow these simple steps –

Go to drive.google.com.
Click on the + New icon and select the file upload option.
Select the print-locked file on your computer and upload it.
Once the file is uploaded, you have to double-click on it to open it inside Google Drive’s built-in document viewer.
Now, at the top right corner of the document viewer, you will see the print icon. You have to click on it.
A print dialogue box will pop up on your screen, asking you to select your printer and other things. Select the right printer, configure other settings and give the print command.

That’s it. If you have followed each step correctly, the print process will be initiated within a minute.

Since you have now successfully understood how to print a print-locked document in Google Drive, let me tell you how you can remove the print restriction from that file so that you can easily distribute it.

Read How to Delete PDF Files from Google Drive

How to Remove Print-Locked Permission in Google Drive

To do this, all you have to do is follow these simple steps –

Go to drive.google.com.
Locate the file that you uploaded in the last method and double-click on it to open it.
It will open the file in the Google Drive document viewer. Here, you have to click on the Print button located at the top right corner.
It will take you to a new tab where the print window will pop up. Simply click on the cancel button from the pop-up window.
Now, at the top right corner of your screen, you can see a download icon. Click on it to initiate the download process.
It will ask you to select the location where you want to download that file. Select the location, change the file name, and save it.

That’s it. This new file that you have downloaded is not protected with any sort of permission. You can send this file to anyone, and they will be able to download and print this file very easily. You can follow the same method for the password-protected file to remove the password restriction.

Read Combine PDF Files in Google Drive

How to Print a Locked PDF file in Google Drive that is protected by Google Drive’s sharing settings

Apart from these standard types of protections, Google Drive also lets users protect their files from getting downloaded or printed by anyone.

If you have any of such files that you want to print that are protected by Google Drive’s sharing settings, you can follow these steps –

Go to drive.google.com.
Double click on the file that you want to print.
Go to your browser’s settings and open web developer tools. You can use the shortcut by pressing CTRL + Shift + I altogether.
Navigate to the Console tab.
Here, you have to paste this code –

let jspdf = document.createElement( "script" );
jspdf.onload = function () {
let pdf = new jsPDF();
let elements = document.getElementsByTagName( "img" );
for ( let i in elements) {
let img = elements[i];
if (!/^blob:/.test(img.src)) {
continue ;
}
let canvasElement = document.createElement( ‘canvas’ );
let con = canvasElement.getContext( "2d" );
canvasElement.width = img.width;
canvasElement.height = img.height;
con.drawImage(img, 0, 0,img.width, img.height);
let imgData = canvasElement.toDataURL( "image/jpeg" , 1.0);
pdf.addImage(imgData, ‘JPEG’ , 0, 0);
pdf.addPage();
}
pdf.save( "download.pdf" );
};
jspdf.src = 'https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jspdf/1.3.2/jspdf.min.js' ;
document.body.appendChild(jspdf);

After this, the download and the print option will be available. Click on the download option and download the file.
Now, open the new file and give the print command.

That’s it. This is how you can print a file locked by Google Drive.

However, note that this method basically converts the PDF files into the form of images, and therefore, there are chances that the final PDF will lose some quality. But that is the only way to print such files. So, you have no other options.

Read How to Rotate a PDF in Google Drive

Closing Comments

There you have it – a detailed guide on how to print a locked PDF file in Google Drive.

PDF gives the author the ability to put certain restrictions on their files to protect their sensitive data and secure their overall document. While it is really a great security feature, these restrictions can be frustrating for those who have received these files.

If you have come across any file with such restrictions, you can follow the guide mentioned above to print them very easily. However, note that files protected with a password cannot be cracked that easily.

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Shirley

Hello, my name is Shirley. I’m a Google Drive expert and have been working with the platform since it launched. I’ve written extensively about Google Drive tips and tricks, and have created numerous tutorials on how to get the most out of the platform. I also enjoy creating tutorials to help people learn how to use Drive like pros. Read more