I need to upload a signed contract PDF to a portal that requires it to be secure, but password-protecting it on my work laptop got rejected. What does secure usually mean for uploads?
Usually “secure” just means the upload goes over an encrypted connection, so the portal handles that part, not you. Password protected files often get rejected because their virus scanner can’t open them. Honestly I’d try uploading it plain and see if it goes through.
I had this happen with an insurance portal at work. Portals usually reject passwords because automated systems cannot open the file. They usually just mean a flattened document that cannot be altered. I use PDFcap to flatten my signed forms, which locks the text into a plain, read-only PDF that systems accept without issue.
Secure for portals usually means flattened so the signature cannot be edited, not encrypted. I learnt this the hard way when uploading vendor applications for my market stall. My tip is to just use your normal browser to “Print to PDF” which bakes the text and signature together. Avoid adding any passwords or security restrictions, because automated systems will just reject files they cannot open.