PDFKey Pro 3.4.5 — Recover lost PDF password so you don’t lose work

Reviewed by Harry {doc} Babad © 2007

Michele Balistreri — Brik Software

Released: 29·Aug·07

Shareware Cost: $20 USD

System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, Universal binary 3 MB Hard Drive Space.

Localized: in English, Italian, French, German, Polish and Japanese.

Strengths: A simple and cost effective way of re-access information in partially protected PDFs; or to add such protection to you own PDFs. If you have a need for its functionality, this will be an excellent tool for you.

Weaknesses: In terms of how I create, acquire and use PDF files, I found the PDFKey Pro of limited use. I do not, at least 99% of the time, password protect my files in any fashion. Nor do I limit other’s access to them. But then again, I’m not you.

Copyright Notice: Product and company names and logos in this review may be registered trademarks of their respective companies.

The software was tested on a 1 GHz dual processor PowerPC G4 Macintosh with 2 GB DDR SDRAM running under OS X 10.4.10.

Disclaimer: When briefly reviewing share-freeware I will often use the developer’s product, functions and features descriptions. All other comments are strictly my own and based on testing. Why need I rewrite the developer’s narratives, if they are clearly written?

Software Introduction Including the Publisher’s Summary

I am a regular, you might say compulsive, user of the expensive [$250-$460] Adobe Acrobat Pro (AA8 Pro), now in version 8. Despite that devotion, I continuously access and test (time permitting) shareware tools that perform some of the functions of the Adobe Pro application. On occasions developers add a bit of functionality to their acrobat-oriented tools (e.g., PDFPen Pro), but usually they replicate, in well-focused shareware products parts of the parent (Acrobat) software’s functionality.

When I first saw the software’s name and read a top-level description, I thought it might be a way to extract information from password locked PDF files. You know, the ones produced, in days long gone, by our local Macintosh user’s group for their finder newsletter. (I was given that password, a now discontinued practice, which then allowed me to extract a review or tip from that newsletter to use as references.)

It’s not a way to defeat author control of a PDF file or Digital Rights Management protected eBooks. [Dream on doc, The MacUpdate site is not the place to look for such tools.] MacUpdate PDFKey Pro is only designed to help you work with PDF files when you've lost your password, or when you need to batch process your PDFs.

What Does it Do — PDFKey Pro lets you easily recover from having lost your copying and/or printing PDF passwords. PDFKey Pro creates an unlocked copy of your PDF, without requiring you to enter a copying or printing password. However, if your files are protected from unauthorized viewing, you must supply the password before PDFKey Pro will make a fully unlocked document. Should you make extensive use of passwords to limit reader access (actions such as print or copy) to your files, PDFs can also be processed in bulk, without requiring your intervention.

Using the Software

After a standard installation, the software is ready to use sort of.

When in demonstration mode, PDFKey Pro will process only the first page of your locked PDF documents. Demonstration mode is intended to give you an idea of how PDFKey Pro will work before you purchase it.

PDFKey Pro lets you protect your PDFs with a drag of your mouse. You can set a password to view a file as well as password to restrict printing and copy and pasting of your PDFs. The files created by PDFKey Pro will be identical to the originals and you will be able to open them in any PDF viewer.

PDFKey Pro is very easy to use. Simply drag your PDF file (or files, or folders) to either the "Unlock" or "Lock" icons. If you are trying to lock files, PDFKey Pro will ask you the passwords to use and the actions you wish to disable. PDFKey Pro will then start working on your PDFs. A progress bar will show you that PDFKey Pro is working (small files won't display this bar because they'll be processed before you know it). The resulting files will be placed in the directory chosen in the application preference panel (by default the same folders as the original files) with the same name as the originals, plus an added suffix of either _unlocked or _locked. Also included with PDFKey Pro are powerful automation tools to use as command line functions and in the Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" with Automator. This is a feature I did not test since I use neither of the Macintosh system tools.

PDFKey Pro is not a universal PDF Password Cracker.

On the other hand, going back to my archive Mid-Columbia Macintosh Users Group collection of the “Finder” newsletter, I was able, w/o using the “provided” password, to extract the page or three that I wanted.

Locked MCMUG PDF

Unlocked MCMUG PDF

I did put the software through its paces and demonstrated that I was able to:

Completely unlock files restoring editing and printing capabilities when I set them in AA8 Pro.
I was also able to protect my PDF files with a password to prevent unauthorized access. I worked with PDF files created in MS Word using the Adobe PDF maker application, as well as document created with Apple’s Print to PDF function.
Indeed, as claimed, the software enabled me to restrict usage, such as printing and copying, permissions with a password. [I quickly used the software to undid what it did.]

Discomforts

As noted by Rainbird in a MacUpdate review, “Does the serial activation code really have to be 87 characters in length?”

Conclusion

If protecting and un-protecting your PDF files is your thing, by all means buy this product. For the first time, I do not recommend working with the limited (first page only) demo. Take a chance; spend the $20 for a full working copy.