I am experiencing a problem with Microsoft Edge's built-in PDF viewer and editor.

Question

I am experiencing a problem with Microsoft Edge's built-in PDF viewer and editor.

Immigrant Community 0

I am experiencing a problem with Microsoft Edge's built-in PDF viewer and editor. The annotation toolbar is disabled on certain fillable PDF forms, while it works normally on others. This inconsistency prevents me from adding text, highlighting, or making annotations on many of the PDF documents I need to complete.

Additionally, I cannot save changes directly to the original PDF. The only available option is "Save As," which interrupts my workflow and makes document management more difficult.

This issue significantly affects my productivity because I work with PDF forms daily. I have tried multiple PDF files and confirmed that the problem only occurs with certain forms.

I would like to know:

Why the annotation tools are unavailable on some PDF forms.
Whether this is a known Microsoft Edge issue.
How to enable annotation and editing features on all PDF forms.
How to save edits directly without relying only on the "Save As" option.

I would appreciate guidance on resolving this issue or information about any available fixes. EDGE

EDGE 2

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1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi,

In this case, the issue likely isn't a flaw in Microsoft Edge; rather, the PDF is probably protected against editing or copying, which prevents those functions from working.

As you noted, this affects specific forms depending on who created the PDF file.

Adobe explains the process here:

https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/hub/how-to-make-pdfs-read-only.html

Some people get around this by "printing" the PDF or saving it as an image, then converting it back to PDF to create an unprotected copy—though this doesn't work in 100% of cases.

With other programs like Foxit Reader, you can add annotations, though it depends on how the PDF was saved. I suspect this is your situation; that is likely why you cannot save changes directly and have to use "Save As" to create a new file.

It is also possible that the files are simply locked. You can check this by accessing the file properties to see if there is an "Unblock" option you can select; that’s worth testing.

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Thanks.