Adobe
Unable to sign document
“Author of this form specified the fields”
Cause:
- Locked by the author in security settings
What do?
- Menu > Protection > Security Properties
- Security Tab to see and change settings.
- Will probably need a password.
Alternately
- Print to PDF
- Make new document new author, hope it doesn’t piss off the law.
Followup
- If this recurs, check whether the form was built with Reader Extensions/Certified Document Services locking — that changes the fix (needs the author’s tools, not just local security settings) ✅ 2026-09-16
- For the “print to PDF as new document” workaround, confirm it doesn’t invalidate a signature requirement for anything legally binding before using it on real documents ✅ 2026-09-16