AES 256 Encryption and Java Cryptographic Encryption (JCE)

Q: When I open a document with AES 256 encryption, I get the following error message: “Encrypting or decrypting PDF documents with 256-bit AES encryption is supported but requires the Java Cryptographic Encryption (JCE)”. Does PDF Studio support opening PDF documents that were secured with AES 256 encryption and does it support encrypting PDF documents with 256-bit encryption?

A: Yes, PDF Studio 12 and earlier can open and secure PDF documents with 256-bit AES encryption but it requires an extension to Java (in the form of 2 policy files) called the Java Cryptography Extension.

NOTE: PDF Studio 2018 & later now come packaged with full support for 256-bit encryption and no longer require the additional files. 

How to Install 256-bit Encryption Support on PDF Studio 12 & earlier

Download Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) from Oracle

Installation Instructions for Windows and Linux:

  1. Extract the content of the zip file to a folder.
  2. Copy local_policy.jar and US_export_policy.jar to PDFStudioXX/jre/lib/security/. They will overwrite the 2 existing files with the same name in this directory. Do not copy the files in PDFStudioXX/jre/lib/security/jce but directly in PDFStudioXX/jre/lib/security.

Installation Instructions for Mac:

  1. Extract the content of the zip file to a folder.
  2. Close / Exit PDF Studio
  3. Open Finder
  4. Go to Applications
  5. Right Click or CTRL + Click on the PDF Studio Application icon and select “Show Package Contents” in the menu
  6. Click on Contents->Plugins
  7. Right Click or CTRL + Click on the jre.bundle icon and select “Show Package Contents” in the menu
  8. Then go to Contents->Home->jre->lib->security
  9. Copy local_policy.jar and US_export_policy.jar to this folder. They will overwrite the 2 existing files with the same name in this directory.
  10. Launch PDF Studio

Note that there are import control restrictions for JCE files in some countries whose governments mandate cryptographic restrictions. Restricted countries include but may not be limited to: Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Serbia/Montenegro (Yugoslavia), Sudan, Syria and parties listed on the Denied and Restricted Parties List.