Drag & Drop to Outlook from PDF-Xchange

[PCpaperpusher]

I routinely scan docs from ScanSnap to PDF-Xchange (10.5.2) as PDFs without issue. On the way from ScanSnap to PDF-Xchange, I have used ScanSnap's option to either apply a password with double entry for confirmation OR cancel with no password applied as it travels on to the targeted PDF-Xchange. If the password is applied, one must again enter the same password before PDF-Xchange loads the PDF which confirms that the password has been applied. Once in, I then save the PDF.

If I drag & drop the PDF from PDF-Xchange to NEW Outlook, the ScanSnap password is stripped from the PDF such that the PDF works but no security password for the recipient of the email. If I "Attach" the same saved PDF in Outlook (rather than D&D) to the email, the ScanSnap password is intact and works as designed.

If a scan is loaded without a password but I apply a password in PDF-Xchange's "Document Properties", the same issue occurs such that if I drag and drop, the scan to an Outlook email, the PDF-Xchange password is stripped out. If I "Attach" the PDF from Outlook, the password sticks with the PDF as expected.

It's only recently, in the last few weeks, that Microsoft updated Windows 11 with a fix to drag and drop. However, it is what it is ...... with a workable solution but I'm wondering whether it's Microsoft or PDF-Xchange that is dropping the D&D security password.

Thanks

PCpaperpusher

Windows 11
PDF-Xchange (10.5.2)

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PCpaperpusher

Just to clarify... when you say "drag/drop" into outlook, where exactly are you dragging from in the Editor?

The only place I can think of this would work is the Thumbnails pane, in which case, you are not dragging the current file, you are "extracting pages" from the file, to create a new document. As such, it is expected that the various metadata items, as well as the security options that were in place, are stripped, it is not the same original file any longer.

Kind regards,

[PCpaperpusher]

Daniel ......

I always select all of the thumbnails present on the page (i.e. I do not selectively drag less than ALL of the thumbnails). Since I was selecting all of the thumbnails, I expected that I was dragging nothing less then the original document from the editor. So it appears from your explanation that my theory is incorrect such that dragging & dropping is only successful when I don't want a password secured Outlook attachment.

Thanks

PCPaperpusher

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, PCpaperpusher

Indeed, even if all pages are selected, Dragging from the thumbnails pane is still extracting those pages from the file to create a new document, not moving the full original file.

I did forget to mention before, a relatively new feature we offer is the "copy file" button. You can right click on the currently opened document, and use this to copy the actual document itself.

image.png (55.59 KiB) Viewed 448 times

Then in outlook, you can use Paste (Ctrl_V) to attach the document to the email that way.

Kind regards,

[PHK]

This thread raises a question in my mind: Can users password-secure single pages within a document? If that were possible OP could assign a password to a page and then D&D to Outlook as an email attachment rather than the whole file.

Of course, there is another work-around: Extract the page to a new single-page document, assign a password and then D&D that whole one-page file to Outlook. To minimize file clutter, you can delete this one-pager after, if appropriate.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello PHK,

Password protection, as defined in the PDF specification is for the whole document only. Once the file has been opened with the correct password - all the content is then available, so if a specific page needs to be protected - it will have to be made a separate file on it's own as in your second suggestion.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[PHK]

Thanks for confirming that, Stefan.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]