How to remove a password from a PDF you can already open

To take the password off a PDF you know the password to, open Unlock PDF, choose the file, type its password once, and press Download. The new copy opens in any reader without asking.

This tool needs the password. It makes one attempt with exactly what you type, and if that is wrong it says so and stops. It does not guess, try lists of common passwords, or work around encryption. If you have lost the password, ask whoever sent the file for an unlocked copy.

Steps

1. Open Unlock PDF and drop the PDF on the box, or click to choose it. The tool reads how the file is protected.
2. Type the password you use to open it under Unlock. If the file opens freely but blocks printing or copying, you are asked for its permissions password instead, under Remove restrictions.
3. Page 1 of the unlocked copy appears with its size and a Download button.
4. Press Download. Your original file is left as it was.

Which password does it want?

A PDF can carry two different passwords, and it helps to know which one you have.

A locked statement or payslip usually comes with the open password, or with an explanation of how it is made, in the message it arrived with. Restrictions are only removed with the permissions password, never with the open password alone.

If a file is encrypted but needs no password and restricts nothing, there is nothing for you to type, and the encryption is removed as soon as you choose it. If the file has no password at all, the tool tells you there is nothing to remove.

After unlocking

The panel lists What changed: whether there was an open password, whether restrictions were removed, and which encryption came off. Pages, text, images, links and form fields are copied across as they are. AES-256, AES-128 and older RC4 encryption are all supported, which covers PDFs made by banks, scanners and office apps.

Once a file is unlocked you can:

• combine it with other statements in Merge PDF,
• save its pages as images with PDF to JPG,
• or lock it again with your own password in Protect PDF.

Most other PDF tools on this site also accept a locked file directly and ask for the password, so unlocking first is only needed for tools that say so, such as PDF to JPG and the PDF editor.

Troubleshooting

"That password isn't right for this PDF." Check caps lock, the keyboard language, and for a space at the end if you pasted it. Passwords built from a date may need a set format, such as day, month and year without separators; the sender's instructions say which.

It accepts the password in my reader but not here. If the file opens freely and only blocks printing or copying, the password you know may be the open password. The restrictions need the permissions password.

"Type the password again." Passwords are never saved with Recent work, so a file reopened from there asks again.

Questions

Can this unlock a PDF if I don't know the password?

No. Removing a password needs the password. The tool tries only what you type, once.

Is my PDF or password uploaded?

No. The PDF is unlocked in your browser with a PDF engine that runs on your device. Neither the file nor the password leaves it, and neither is stored or logged.

Will unlocking change the content or quality?

No. Only the encryption is removed.

Is it free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no limit on files and no watermark on the unlocked copy.