# Document Restrictions

Some applications, and corresponding file formats, allow users to restrict the ways in which a document can be used. For example, you might be able to read a document but additional credentials (such as a password) could be required to modify the document content, add comments, or print the document. The restrictions might not be enforced by encryption, but instead rely on any software that accesses the file to respect the restrictions that have been set.

TIP: These restrictions are not file system permissions (for example, making a file read-only). They are restrictions applied by the software package that created the file.

KeyView can report whether a document is protected by write restrictions, for the following file formats. A write restriction is defined as any restriction, enforced by a password, that prevents a user from editing the document content.

- Adobe Portable Document Format (.PDF)
- Microsoft Word (.DOCX)
- Microsoft Excel (.XLSX)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (.PPTX)

To determine whether a document is protected by restrictions

- In the C++ API, use the get_restrictions method.

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