Secure a PDF before sharing
Flatten the document, sanitize it, compress it, then password-protect it before download.
What does this template do?
Flatten the document, sanitize it, compress it, then password-protect it before download.
Before sending a sensitive document, this template freezes form fields, removes metadata, scripts and attachments, reduces the file size, then encrypts it with an AES-256 password. The recipient gets a light PDF with no hidden data that opens only with the password.
Pipeline steps
This template automatically chains 6 steps in the Workspace. You can review every setting before running it.
- 1Import a PDF
- 2Flatten a PDF
- 3Sanitise the PDF
- 4Compress a PDF
- 5Protect the PDF
- 6Download the PDF
Why the steps come in this order
Flattening and sanitising come first, while the document can still be modified. Compression follows, and password protection comes last: an encrypted PDF cannot be processed again by the previous steps.
When should you use this template?
- Send a completed form whose fields must no longer be editable.
- Email a rental or HR file with a password shared separately.
- Share an internal document after removing the author and history stored in its properties.
Local processing in your browser
When the selected modules support local processing, your files stay on your device while the Pipeline runs.
Settings to check
- Password: empty by default and required, the step fails without it; a separate owner password is optional.
- Compression: “Balanced” by default. This mode turns pages into images of about 83 dpi: choose “Lossless” if the text must stay selectable.
- Sanitising: metadata, JavaScript and attachments removed by default.
Example
- Before
- Completed 6-page PDF form, 2.4 MB, with author and software in its properties.
- After
- Flattened PDF without metadata, lighter and encrypted with AES-256.
Limits to know
- A forgotten password makes the file unusable: Bethemesh does not keep it.
- Sanitising removes hidden data, not visible content: to hide information, redact it.
- With balanced or strong compression, the text can no longer be searched in the resulting document.