Open a PDF in Acrobat.
Last updated on
Jun 7, 2026
Learn how to create a certificate-based security policy in Adobe Acrobat to protect PDFs using public key certificates.
Certificate security policies let you encrypt PDFs for specific recipients using their digital certificates. You can control who can access your documents and what permissions they have.
Before you begin
Ensure you have valid, current public key certificates for all recipients that support encryption.
Select All tools > Protect a PDF > Manage security policies.
Select New.
Select Use public key certificates, and then select Next.
Type a name and description for the policy and specify which document components to encrypt.
Select Encryption Algorithm from the dropdown menu that is compatible with the recipients' version of Acrobat and select Next.
Choose how to associate the policy:
- Select Ask for recipients when applying this policy to create a policy that is associated with individual documents, then select Next.
- Leave Ask for recipients when applying this policy cleared to create a policy that is associated with individual recipients, select the recipients’ digital IDs, including your own digital ID, then select Next.
Review the policy settings on the Summary page, then select Finish. Acrobat saves the certificate security policy.
After you create a certificate security policy, it appears in the security policies list and is ready to use. Policies associated with documents prompt you to choose recipients each time you apply them, while policies associated with recipients use the predefined list you set during creation.
Tip
Name your policies descriptively to make them easier to identify later, such as "Confidential Reports - View Only" or "Legal Documents - Full Permissions."
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