How to make a PDF expire

How to put an expiry date on a PDF & automatically expire PDF files & documents

Here we cover how PDF expiry works, adding an expiry date to a PDF document, and automatically expiring PDF files after a number of days, opens, and prints.

  Expiring PDF files

Whether you’re a publisher, large organization, or small enterprise, the time may come when you will need to know how to make a PDF expire.  An expiring PDF grants several advantages, including the ability to limit third-party sharing, offer limited-time products, and eliminate publication of obsolete document versions. In this blog post, we’ll cover:

1. Can you make a PDF expire?
2. PDF expiration date scripts
3. Can you set an expiry date for a PDF for free online?
4. How effective PDF expiration works
5. How to put an expiry date on a PDF using DRM
6. How to make a PDF self-destruct after a number of days
7. How to put an expiry date on a PDF for a specific user
8. Make a PDF expire after printing
9. Make a PDF Expire after a number of opens
10. Expired PDF files and PDF expiry messages
11. Key takeaways for effective PDF expiry

  Can you make a PDF expire?

Though you may expect most PDF security solutions to have an expiry feature, this is not the case.  Currently, Adobe PDF offers no native way to make a PDF expire. You will have to turn to other, third-party methods to apply expiry controls to your PDF documents, which vary in effectiveness from excellent to completely useless.  The first worth mentioning is JavaScript.

  PDF expiration date scripts

The only methods to make a PDF expire involve unsanctioned community scripts, such as a PDF expiration date script that utilizes JavaScript.

PDF expiration date scripts are completely useless:

1. They are easily bypassed by users not enabling JavaScript in their PDF Reader application.
2. They are not supported by some PDF readers (especially on mobile devices).
3. The JavaScript code does not work in Mac Preview so Mac users can continue viewing the PDF files after they have expired.
4. Users can edit the PDF document and remove the PDF expiration date script.
5. Even if you apply PDF password protection to restrict editing, users can remove the restrictions in seconds using PDF password recovery software.

So, why doesn’t Adobe Acrobat PDF password protection have PDF expiration features built-in?  Though it is a popular solution, fundamentally it’s not DRM software.  Its focus is primarily on convenience and easy editing, not security.  As such, it offers little other than basic, easily bypassed password protection.

  Can you set an expiry date for a PDF online for free?

Several online tools claim to be able to expire documents after a certain date.  Most of them come from cloud storage/collaboration providers, but the major players (Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive etc.) require a subscription to access link expiry options.  For free expiry, you can turn to non-household names such as Mega or make use of online flipbook tools, some of which offer expiry for free.  Note however that just like JavaScript, the expiry controls can be simply removed – see how to copy, download and print from flipping books.

The process to add an expiry date to a PDF online is similar across providers.  It usually involves pressing the share button, then customizing your link options to add an expiry date.

Alas, setting an expiration date is very different to effectively enforcing it.  It’s key to remember that expiration timers are useless unless you can stop users from downloading non-expiring copies of the document.  This includes stopping not just direct downloads but screenshots, printing, copy-paste, and other workarounds.  Our previous research on cloud providers (see secure datarooms) suggests that not a single one is able to do this effectively.

The only reliable way to make a PDF expire is through a fully-fledged PDF DRM solution like Safeguard PDF Security.

  How does PDF expiration work?

PDF expiration relies on strong encryption.  After a document publisher creates their PDF, they encrypt it with PDF DRM (digital rights management) software that only allows those with a valid key to decrypt it.  The PDF file and/or the key to decrypt it can be set to expire based on the following factors:

• The date.
• The number of days from first use.
• How many times the document has been opened.
• How many times the user has printed the document.

These controls can typically be applied on a document-wide, publication-wide (a group of protected PDF documents), or per user basis.

Expired PDF files cannot be opened – once a PDF has expired, the user will be shown a message (this can be customized) to tell them the PDF file has expired.  PDF expiry however can be changed by the document Publisher after a PDF has been distributed as they may want to shorten or extend access – see How to change PDF security settings.

Let’s now take a look at how to make expiring PDF files and how you can apply PDF expiry in different scenarios.

  How to put an expiry date on a PDF using DRM

A PDF expiration date is one of the most common DRM controls and one of the most user-friendly to set. Right-click on a PDF file and select ‘Make Secure PDF’.  Then after opening Safeguard PDF writer, follow these steps:

1. Select the “Expiry & Validity” tab
   

2. Tick “at” under the “Document Expires” heading
   

3. Customize your expiry date

   Click the calendar icon next to your date and select any day from the pop-up calendar.

   

4. In the Verify Document Access section, select your document validation options

   Safeguard PDF Expiry software has four options and these determine how quickly any changes you make to the expiry date (after the document has been published and distributed) are picked up:

   

   • Never:  The software will never check with the Safeguard Administration system.  The user can therefore view the document offline since they never have to connect to the Internet.  If you change the PDF expiry date on the Safeguard Administration system, the new PDF expiry date will not be implemented since there is no connection to the server.  While the user can re-activate their Viewer license to pick up the new expiry date this will only likely happen if you have extended the expiry period (since they will want to gain additional access time).
   • Each time the document is opened:  The user’s right to access the document will be validated when they try to open it.  They have to be connected to the Internet each time they open the document.  If you change the expiry date on the Safeguard Administration system the new PDF expiry date will be implemented immediately.
   • Only when an internet connection is available:  The user’s right to access the document will be validated when they try to open it only if they are connected to the Internet. If you change the expiry date on the Safeguard Administration system the new PDF expiry date will only be implemented when the Safeguard Viewer next connects to the Internet.
   • Every x days:  The user’s access will be checked at a specified time period in days, with a configurable grace period after opening the document.  A change in expiry dates can then be enforced.
   • After x days and then never again:  After a pre-defined number of days, the software will check if a user still has access to a document.  It will never check again.  This is a useful option if you want to make sure a chargeback has not occurred.  You could set the initial expiry date to say 60 days and then extend it before the validation check is made assuming no chargebacks have occurred.  The new expiry date will then be enforced going forwards.

   Choose the option that makes the most sense for your scenario and then publish the document to apply the changes to it.

  How to make a PDF self-destruct after a number of days

In some situations, it may make more sense to have a document expire a number of days after it is first opened rather than a set date.  This is particularly useful if you’re unsure when the recipient will read the document for the first time and want to give users a set amount of time to view the document.

Follow the steps below after opening Safeguard PDF expiry software to enable the option:

1. Select the “Expiry & Validity” tab
   

2. Tick “after” under the “Document Expires” heading and enter the number of days
   

3. Choose your document verification options

   Choose the verification option that makes the most sense for your scenario (refer to the document validation options in ‘How to put an expiry date on a PDF’) and then publish the document to apply the changes to it.

   

  How to put an expiry date on a PDF for a specific user

If you want your expiry date to apply to a specific user rather than having the PDF document expire on a fixed date or after a number of opens, you can do so through the Safeguard Administration system.

Choosing to not make a PDF expire but access to it expire for individual users however is useful for subscriptions where the PDF document will always remain valid but access to it will be limited for each user.

You can also set the PDF file to expire on a fixed date or after a number of days, opens, or prints as well if you prefer.  What every expiry option is reached first will cause the PDF to expire.

Making a PDF expire on a user basis

1. In Safeguard Writer protect the PDF for individual user access

   Select the Document Access tab and choose the option “Selected customers (must be individually allocated)”.  Then publish the document by selecting the ‘Publish’ button.

   

2. Log in to Safeguard Admin
   

3. Open the “Documents” tab and press the “Details” button next to your document
   

4. Click on the “Grant or revoke access” link

   Click the calendar icon next to your date and select any day from the pop-up calendar.

   

5. Set an expiry date for the user

   Select the user(s) you’d like to set the expiry date for, then change “With all checked:” to “Grant Limited Access”.

   
   Set your “From” and “Until” values to the relevant dates to define your expiry periods and press “OK”.

  Make a PDF expire after printing

If a set expiry date or number of days expiry doesn’t make sense for your situation, you can instead make a PDF expire after printing, based on the number of times each user prints it.  You can think of this as a sort of “self-destruct” mechanism.

Here’s how you can make a PDF file expire after a number of prints:

1. Select the “Printing & Viewing” tab
   

2. Tick “Allow Printing”, “Limit number of copies to:” and “No access after print copies depleted”.

   Don’t forget to specify your number of prints next to the “copies to:” option.

   After defining any other controls you want on your document, you can publish and share the protected PDF file with your recipients.
   

  Make a PDF Expire after a number of opens

There will probably be occasions for very sensitive or confidential documents where you only want to allow a limited number of opens before the PDF self-destructs.  For example, you might want a user to be able to open the document once only so that it limits exposure to the document content.

Here’s how you can make a PDF file expire after a number of opens:

1. Select the “Printing & Viewing” tab
   

2. Tick “Limit number of views to:”

   Define the number of times each user can open (view) the document in the box next to the option and publish your document to apply the changes.

   

  Expired PDF files and PDF expiry messages

Users cannot unlock or open expired PDF files.  Once a PDF file has expired, access is blocked and the following message is displayed:

You can customize the expiry message with your own text (for example: ‘This document is locked. Your permission to view it has expired.”) from the Messages tab in Safeguard Writer or have the user directed to a web page instead.

You can also add a message that is displayed before the PDF expires to warn users that their access will be blocked in the near future.  For example, “This PDF file will expire on date”.  The expiry date can be added as a dynamic variable which is automatically inserted by the Viewer software once the document is opened.  The expiry date may differ for users depending on when they first opened the document if you have chosen to expire access after a number of days from first open rather than selecting a fixed expiry date.

Publishers selling PDF documents may find this useful in soliciting for additional business.

   Key takeaways for effective PDF expiry

To summarize, when you’re expiring PDFs, you should keep the following in mind:

1. Expiry is a useful security mechanism: It allows you to limit the availability of sensitive information, enforce free trials, send limited time craft documents, and much more.
2. Native Adobe limitations: Adobe Acrobat lacks built-in functionality to set expiration dates on PDFs.
3. PDF expiration scripts are ineffective: Scripts utilizing JavaScript are easily bypassed by disabling JavaScript in PDF readers, editing the PDF, or using PDF password recovery software.
4. You can effectively expire PDFs online: Online expiry solutions aren’t effective because JavaScript-based web browser controls fail to prevent users from downloading, printing, copy-pasting, or screenshotting documents before they expire to make permanent copies.
5. Robust DRM solutions are your best option: PDF expiration requires dedicated PDF DRM software like Safeguard PDF Security, which leverages strong encryption and offers granular, effective control over how users can use documents (including stopping screenshots, printing, and copy-paste).
6. How PDF DRM Expiration Works: DRM software encrypts the PDF, allowing decryption only with a valid key. This key, or the document itself, can be set to expire based on various factors like date, days since first use, number of opens, or prints.
7. PDF DRM solutions offer the best flexibility: DRM solutions offer various expiry options, including fixed date, days after first open, after a certain number of prints or opens, or even expiry linked to specific users. They also let you manually revoke access and display custom expiry messages.

  PDF Expiry Software & making PDF files expire

As you can tell, dedicated PDF expiry software from a DRM provider will offer many more options than traditional PDF solutions, secure document sharing, or secure data room systems.

The flexibility, and security that print-based, view-based, day and date-based expiry offer makes it the best choice for those who truly want to protect and securely share their content while ensuring it cannot be viewed (both offline and online) after a specified period of time or actions.

PDF expiry can be a great addition to traditional document security controls, enabling you to enforce document retention periods or ensure that document sharing with third parties is tightly controlled within a limited time period.  For publishers selling PDF documents, it gives you flexibility over how you price content or make training courses or reports only available for a limited amount of time.

If you want to make PDF files expire, then take a free 15-day trial of our PDF expiry software.

   FAQs

Why is setting an expiration date for PDFs important when working with sensitive documents?

It is important to completely block access to a file after its expiration date to maintain document security.  By blocking access, organizations can ensure that sensitive information or confidential content is no longer accessible or vulnerable to unauthorized access once the document’s validity has expired, reducing the risk of data breaches or unauthorized use.

How do expiring PDFs restrict access to a file?

Expiring PDFs restrict access to a file by allowing users to access it only until a certain date has been reached or when a certain time period has lapsed.  After the expiration date or time period, access to the file is completely blocked (it can no longer be opened), ensuring that only authorized individuals can access the file within the specified time frame.

How can I set an expiration date for a PDF?

The only effective way to do this is to use DRM software that uses an installed Viewer or Reader to control use.  Cloud-based solutions such as secure data rooms or google docs and expiry links provide weak security because it is simple to bypass expiry the controls.

Is it possible to make a PDF expire in Adobe Acrobat?

No, there is no functionality provided in Adobe Acrobat to expire standard or password protected PDF files.

Do PDF expiration scripts work?

No, because the document expiry controls are simple to bypass – a user can just turn off JavaScript in their PDF reader.

Can I change the document expiration date after distribution?

Yes, you change the expiry date on the Safeguard Admin system.  When users next open the document, provided they have an internet connection, the new expiry date will be picked up by the Viewer software.

Do users have to be connected to the internet for PDF files to expire?

No, with Locklizard, users don’t need to have an internet connection for PDF files to expire.  If a user turns back their system clock to evade expiry controls then the document will fail to open.

If the document owner wants to change PDF expiry however (for example, set a new expiration date), users have to connect to the Locklizard licensing server (which requires an internet connection) for this to take effect.

Can I prevent access to a PDF before a specific date?

Yes.  You can set a start date for a document.  Users will not be able to open the PDF before this date has been reached.  By using start and end dates you can effectively control how long your documents can be used.

Can Locklizard expire Microsoft Word documents?

No.  Locklizard only protects and expires documents in the PDF format.

Can you make a PDF email attachment expire?

Yes.  We cover this in our blog on how to send email attachments securely.

Do expiring PDFs self-destruct?

When a PDF expires, it is not removed from a users device, but access to it is blocked and the file cannot be opened.  This achieves the same objective as self-destruct (being permanently removed or deleted) and ensures that any backups cannot be opened either.