Solving: “Page Extraction Not Allowed” Error in a PDF File

Reasons Why Page Extraction is Not Allowed in Adobe PDF File

This is what the PDF page extraction error message looks like. Such errors are document-specific. That means if the source PDF file is restricted or secured, the error message appears.

In this situation, you cannot extract or copy pages from a PDF file to create a new document. Possibly, the creator of the PDF has applied certain restrictions or security settings, preventing you from performing any action. But why is it so?

Here are the prominent scenarios of the PDF page extraction not allowed:

1. PDF Structural Changes are Restricted

If the owner/creator of the PDF file has restricted any kind of structural changes to the PDF. This means any kind of editing, reordering, or extracting pages is prohibited. Mostly, creators intentionally do this for the security of documents.

2. Password-Protected PDF Files

Also, the source PDF may be secured by a user or owner password. Hence, one needs to unlock a secured PDF file for editing and extraction. Adding password protection prevents any unauthorized access to documents.

3. PDF Password is Forgotten

There are situations when you need to extract data from old PDF files. Or, someone has shared a locked PDF without telling you the password. Thus, you can remove PDF page extraction not allowed error only after unlocking PDFs.

How to Know PDF Page Extraction is Not Allowed or Allowed?

Follow the steps below to verify whether a PDF restricts or allows page extraction:

1. Firstly, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader to inspect.
2. At the top-left corner, click on the Menu.
3. Select Properties or press Ctrl + D to open the Properties window.
   
4. The Document Properties dialog box opens.
5. Now, switch to the Security tab.
6. Find the Document Restrictions Summary section.
7. After that, check the Page Extraction status.
   

You will either see Allowed or Not Allowed. Thus, it indicates whether you can extract pages from the PDF or not. Not Allowed status means- Page extraction is not allowed in the source PDF documents.

How to Fix PDF Page Extraction Not Allowed Error?

It is very important to unlock protected PDFs or remove restrictions to extract PDF data. We have discovered multiple effective ways to do it. Let’s begin with the procedure one by one:

#1. Use Opera Browser to Remove Extraction Restriction

This is a free solution to disable the page extraction error using Opera Browser. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Firstly, upload and open a PDF file in the Opera browser.
2. Next, from the top right, click on Print (or press Ctrl + P).
3. Set the printer option to Save as PDF.
4. Under Pages, choose the extraction option as Custom.
5. After that, enter the page numbers you want to like 2-3, 4-5.
6. Click on Save to extract the selected pages.

Surprisingly, you do not have to install any software for this process. However, you should prefer using the Opera browser only when you have a few PDF files. In addition, it’s not effective for password-protected PDF files.

#2. Take the Help of Adobe Acrobat Pro Software

Another remarkable solution to remove PDF page extraction not allowed error is professional Adobe Acrobat. It’s a premium tool, enabling you to remove various types of restrictions, including page extraction. Moreover, it can handle PDFs in bulk. Want to know how?

1. Run Adobe Acrobat Pro on your PC and open the restricted PDF file.
2. Click on File > go to Tools > then choose Encrypt > click Remove Security.
   (Note: the steps may vary in some versions: Tools > Protect > Security > Remove Security.)
3. The Security Settings panel appears. After that, look for the Enable Page Extraction option.
4. If the file has a permission password, enter it password when prompted.
5. After that, click OK and save the unprotected PDF file.
6. Further, to extract pages, open the PDF > use the Extract feature and pull out what you need.

Although the method is very effective for multiple PDF files, it’s not free. You need to purchase its subscription, making it difficult for small businesses or individuals. Moreover, many people find its interface difficult to understand.

#3. Allow PDF Page Extraction in MS Word

You can also change Adobe page extraction not allowed to allowed with the help of MS Word. Here is how to do it:

1. Begin with, access the PDF file in MS Word.
2. Click on File and choose Print (or, just Ctrl + P).
3. Then, set the Printer section to Microsoft Print to PDF.
4. After that, hit Print.
5. Specify the path where to save the file, and click Save.

However, this may not be that effective with protected PDF files. Overall, none of the manual methods can satisfy you over professional software.

#4. Use Aryson Software to Extract Pages from PDF in Bulk

Whether your PDF file is protected or restricts extraction, Aryson PDF Extractor is all you need. This software allows users to extract multiple PDF pages along with data like attachments, hyperlinks, and more. Moreover, it does not depend on any other application for the process.

One can save extracted data types in their respective formats. Like PDF, TXT, DOCX, JPEG, HTML, PNG, or DOC, as per the ease of access. Besides, for more accurate extraction, it offers a page filter too.

Steps to Fix Error Page Extraction Not Allowed in Source PDF Document:

1. Install and run the Aryson PDF Data Extractor on your PC.
2. Add PDF files from your system. Provide passwords for protected PDFs.
3. Now, preview the PDF file data- Text and Image before extraction.
4. Choose data types to extract and the respective format to save them.
5. If needed, apply the Page filter for more specific results.
6. At last, click on Extract. Check for the extracted data in the defined location.

Hopefully, the error “Page extraction is not allowed in the source PDF documents’ can now be solved hassle-free. For more detailed knowledge about the software, try its demo version.

Conclusion

Nowadays, everyone is concerned about data security and tries their best to protect data. Thus, you may often encounter “Page extraction not allowed” kind of errors. However, we will continue to assist in such cases. You can try the discussed manual method for free approaches, but be careful. On the other hand, professional software is individually sufficient for extracting all data types in multiple export formats.

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