How to set PDF preferences for a whole team

An administrator sets team-wide preferences in PDF by Zaweba with a file called defaults.json. Put it in the Zaweba PDF folder under ProgramData, or beside the program, with the default values you want and a list of locked keys. Locked preferences always take the administrator's value and appear greyed out in Preferences, so nobody can change them by accident.

In an office, consistency matters. You may want everyone to save in the same way, to keep autosave on, to sign with the same settings, or to use millimetres rather than inches. Setting each PC by hand is slow and drifts over time. One file does it for everyone.

Defaults and locked keys

The defaults.json file holds two things. The first is default values: settings each user starts with, which they can still change for themselves. The second is a list of locked keys: settings that are fixed to the administrator's value and can't be changed in the app.

When the app starts, it reads the file. Unlocked defaults behave like sensible starting points. Locked settings are shown greyed out in Edit > Preferences, so users can see what they are set to but can't alter them.

Writing defaults.json

Decide what you want to control. Go through Edit > Preferences on your own PC and note the settings that matter for your team. The sections include General, Page display, Documents, Commenting, Forms, Identity, Full screen, Search, Signatures, Security and trust, Spelling, Language, Reading, Accessibility, Colour management, Units, Content editing, Convert and Measuring.

Split them into two lists: things people should start with but may change, and things that must stay fixed. Units and spelling language are often defaults. Security and signing settings are usually the ones to lock.

Write defaults.json with the values and the locked keys, and put it in the Zaweba PDF folder under ProgramData on each PC, or beside the program if you deploy the app as a folder.

Open the app and check Preferences. Locked items should be greyed out with your values in them.

Locking with a light touch

Lock as little as you can. Users find locked settings frustrating when there's no clear reason. Locking security and trust choices makes sense; locking the grid spacing probably doesn't.

Tell people. A short note saying which settings are fixed and why saves a lot of puzzled questions.

Test on one PC first. A mistake in the file is easier to spot and fix before it's on every machine.

Keep a copy of the file somewhere safe, with a note of when it changed. When someone asks why a setting is the way it is, you'll have the answer.

Other team-friendly features

Preferences in PDF by Zaweba are searchable, and nothing changes until you press OK, so people can look without fear of breaking something. Each section can be reset, which is a quick way back for anyone who gets a section into a muddle.

For shared processes, Tools > Actions saves lists of steps that can become commands, and watched folders run an Action on each new PDF that arrives. Combined with team defaults, they help an office handle PDFs the same way every time.

The app is free, works offline and needs no accounts, so there are no licences or sign-ins to manage.