Bates numbering writes new content onto every page, so a PDF that is encrypted or locked against changes usually cannot be numbered until an authorized person removes the protection with the password. Adobe’s own Bates help says protected and encrypted files are not supported. BatesBind, a Windows app from Automata Labs, lists every PDF in a folder, names any file it cannot read with the reason, such as a password, and keeps the numbering continuous across the rest, so one locked attachment does not stall the whole production.
This guide explains the two kinds of PDF password, what to do with each in a production, and how to account for a file you cannot unlock.
Number a folder of PDFs in one continuous range and see at once which files are locked.
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Why can’t I Bates number a password-protected PDF?
A Bates label is new text stamped onto each page. Adding it changes the file, and a secured PDF is built to stop exactly that.
Adobe’s Bates numbering help for Acrobat Pro states it directly: “Protected, encrypted files, and some form types aren’t supported.” Other Bates tools run into the same wall for the same reason. Encryption scrambles the page content so that software without the password cannot read it, let alone draw on it.
The result in practice: a production folder of forty PDFs where one or two refuse to number. In some tools the batch stops at the first locked file. In others the locked file is quietly skipped, and the numbers on everything after it are now different from what a dry run showed.
What is the difference between an open password and a permissions password?
PDF security comes in two layers, and they behave differently in a production.
| Document open password | Permissions password | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Required to open and view the file at all | Restricts actions such as printing, editing or copying |
| Can a Bates tool read the pages without it? | No | Depends on the tool and the restriction |
| Can a Bates tool stamp the pages without it? | No | Usually not when editing is restricted |
| Who usually sets it | Senders protecting confidential content | Senders who want a read-only copy |
| How you remove it | Enter it, then turn security off and save a copy | Enter it, then turn the restriction off and save a copy |
Adobe’s remove passwords help describes the route in Acrobat: open Protect a PDF, choose Set security properties, select Change Settings on the Security tab, then deselect “Require a password to open the document” to remove an open password, or “Restrict editing and printing of the document” to remove a permissions password. Type the permissions password if prompted, confirm, and save. Either way, you need the password.
Should you remove the password before producing?
That is a judgment for the producing attorney, not the software, and it depends on where the file came from:
- Your client’s own files. Ask the client for the password or an unprotected copy. Many clients lock a PDF out of habit and are happy to provide an open version.
- Files the client received from someone else. Removing protection set by a third party is a question of authority. If you have the password and the right to use it, an unlocked working copy is common. If not, do not try to defeat the protection.
- Files that are protected for a reason. Some documents should stay locked, and the other side may accept them produced natively with a slip sheet in the numbered set.
Whatever you decide, work on a copy. The production should come from a folder of working copies, never from the originals.
How do you keep the Bates range continuous when a file is locked?
There are three common choices. The right one is usually written into the ESI agreement or agreed in a letter.
| Option | What happens in the range | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock, then number | The file gets its pages numbered like any other | You have authority and the password |
| Slip sheet | One placeholder page takes one number and says why the document is not imaged | The file is produced natively, withheld, or cannot be unlocked |
| Leave it out and note it | No number; the file is listed separately | The file is not part of this production at all |
A slip sheet keeps the sequence honest. Anyone reading the index sees ABC000231, a placeholder, and then ABC000232 on the next document, instead of a silent jump. Our article on what a slip sheet is in discovery covers the wording and when to use one.
See locked files listed with the reason before you export, then decide how to handle each one.
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How does BatesBind handle password-protected PDFs?
BatesBind is built around a folder. According to its Microsoft Store listing and product page:
- Open a folder. BatesBind lists every PDF in natural order, counts the pages and assigns one continuous Bates range: a prefix you choose, zero-padded digits and a start number. Subfolders can be included.
- See what it cannot read. Files it cannot read are listed with the reason, such as “The file is password protected,” and left out, so the numbering stays continuous for the rest. Damaged files are listed the same way.
- Choose a slip sheet if you want one. With slip sheets turned on, a file that cannot be read gets a one-page placeholder with the reason and one number, so the range has no hole.
- Export. Write one bound PDF with the index in front, or a stamped copy of each file plus a separate index PDF in a folder you pick. The index lists every file with its page count and first and last number.
The useful part is that step 2 happens before you export. You find out which files are locked while there is still time to ask the client for an open copy, instead of discovering it after the production has gone out.
BatesBind does not remove passwords or bypass PDF security. If you unlock a file with Acrobat or another tool and drop the unlocked copy into the folder, BatesBind numbers it like any other file. Originals are never changed: BatesBind writes new files only and refuses to write where an original lives.
What should the production index show for a locked file?
Whatever you choose, the index should let the other side, and you six months later, reconcile every document. A practical checklist:
- The file name of the locked document, exactly as produced or withheld.
- The number it took, if a slip sheet was used, or a note that it took none.
- The reason, in neutral words, such as “Produced natively; password protected” or “Withheld; see privilege log.”
- The next document’s first number, which in a continuous range follows directly.
Our guide to the Bates production log covers the full record, and our article on Bates number format covers prefixes and padding.
Frequently asked questions
Can Adobe Acrobat Bates number a secured PDF?
Not while it is protected. Adobe’s Bates help says protected and encrypted files are not supported. Remove the security first, with the password and the authority to do so, and number the unlocked copy.
Does BatesBind crack or remove PDF passwords?
No. It lists password-protected files with the reason and leaves them out of the range, or gives each a slip sheet that takes one number when slip sheets are on.
Will one locked file throw off my numbering?
Not in BatesBind. The locked file is left out, or takes exactly one number as a slip sheet, and the range stays continuous for everything else.
Is a signed PDF the same as a password-protected one?
No, but signed and certified files can also restrict changes, and stamping them can invalidate the signature. Treat them like protected files: decide with the producing attorney before you number them.
Does BatesBind upload my documents?
No. Your files stay on your PC. BatesBind does not upload anything, does not phone home and has no account.
Try BatesBind
BatesBind is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store with a free trial, so you can open a real production folder and see which files it flags before you buy. There is no subscription. The BatesBind product page has the full feature list, and our guide on how to Bates number PDFs on Windows covers the whole workflow.
Number the files you can, flag the ones you cannot, and keep one continuous range.
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This article is general information, not legal advice. Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe. BatesBind is not affiliated with Adobe.
Last updated 21 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.