Protected View (Windows only)

Protected View provides an additional level of security. When Protected View in enabled, PDFs are displayed in a restricted environment called a sandbox. This isolation of the PDFs reduces the risk of security breaches in areas outside the sandbox. Adobe strongly recommends that you use Acrobat in Protected View if you are concerned about security, or if you frequently interact with PDFs on the Internet.
Note: Adobe Reader includes a similar restricted environment called Protected Mode. For information about Reader Protected Mode, see Reader Help.

When Protected View is enabled, only basic navigation is allowed. For example, you can open PDFs, scroll through pages, and click links. You can enable Protected View in a PDF that you view in either stand-alone Acrobat or in a web browser.

PDF in stand-alone Acrobat
In Protected View, Acrobat displays a warning for a PDF that doesn’t originate from a trusted location. The warning lets you decide whether to trust the document.
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If you trust the PDF and where it came from, click Enable All Features. The PDF is added to your list of privileged locations and is trusted from then on.

PDF in a web browser
A PDF in Protected View functions the same in a browser as a Reader-extended PDF that is viewed in Reader. The warning does not appear in the browser.
You can find out whether a PDF opened in a browser is in Protected View. Right-click the document in the browser and choose Document Properties. Click the Advanced tab. When Protected View is enabled, the status says Protected Mode: On.

Enable or disable Protected View

Unlike Protected Mode in Reader, Protected View in Acrobat is off by default.

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences.

  2. From the categories on the left, select Security (Enhanced).

  3. Select the Enable Enhanced Security option.

  4. Choose one of the following options:

    Off
    Disables Protected View, if you have enabled it. Protected View is off by default.

    Files From Potentially Unsafe Locations
    Enables Protected View and displays the warning for all files originating from an untrusted location. Files and locations that you add to the Privileged Locations area of the Enhanced Security panel are exempt from Protected View.

    All files
    Enables Protected View in all PDFs that you open in either stand-alone Acrobat or in a browser.

Bypass Protected View restrictions

Choose any of these options:

  • Select Off in the Enhanced Security panel of the Security (Enhanced) preferences.

  • Add files, folders, and locations to the Privileged Locations area of the Enhanced Security panel. (See Specify privileged locations for trusted content.)

  • Click Enable All Features in the warning.

Additional resources

For more information on Protected View, see the following resources: