Overview
Firmex Project Administrators and Managers can choose to activate or deactivate Encrypted Documents Options in projects where one or more groups have Firmex Document Protection Options applied.
Since Firmex cannot apply additional Document Protection Options to previously encrypted documents, this option allows you to decide whether to allow encrypted documents to be downloaded from your project, providing you with an additional level of control over these documents.
What is an Encrypted Document?
An Encrypted Document is a document (PDF, Office file, etc.) that has been previously protected from unauthorized viewing and/or modification before being uploaded into Firmex. Examples of common document encryption include Password Protection, documents set to Read Only, and documents with Restricted Editing.
How do I tell if a document is Encrypted?
There are two indicators in Firmex that show if a Document is Encrypted:
- If you have a document selected, the details area on the right of the screen will show a message indicating that the document is Encrypted.
- If a document has Firmex Document Protection Options applied to it and downloading of Encrypted Documents is disabled, a small lock icon will appear over the document type icon.
You may also find a full list of documents that Firmex has flagged as encrypted by generating the following report:
- Select the Tools menu at the top right > View As
- Select any group on the right
- Select the Excel icon at top right > Export Access Report
- The last column in the report will show 'Yes' for encrypted documents
Should I enable Encrypted Document Options?
If you are uploading documents into Firmex that already have custom security features (such as password protection) you may be okay with users downloading documents without Firmex document protection. In this scenario you can enable Encrypted Downloads so that users can download these files without Firmex security settings enabled.
Why would I disable Encrypted Document Options?
To ensure that encrypted documents are not downloaded without applying Firmex Document Protection, you can disable the Encrypted Downloads option. Users with Document Protection enabled will not be able to view or download previously encrypted documents, and a lock symbol will appear over the File Type icon next to the document name.
If you would like your users to be able to download the documents with Firmex Document Protection applied, you should create a new “flattened” version of the document, which will remove any existing encryption.
To do this with a PDF:
- On your local computer, open the file in Adobe Reader or similar PDF viewer
- Print the file to PDF (to save a new PDF on your computer)
- Upload this new “flattened” PDF to the data room
- Your users should now be able to download this file with Firmex document protection
How do I disable the downloading of Encrypted Documents?
By default, the Encrypted Downloads option is enabled, allowing users to download encrypted files without Firmex Document Protection.
To disable downloading of encrypted documents:
- Go to your project’s Settings tab > Document Protection category.
- Uncheck the Encrypted Downloads.
- Click Save Changes.