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Unlock a PDF with the password you know

Type the password once and download a copy that opens without it. Runs on your device; nothing is uploaded.

Drop a password-protected PDF, or click to choose

You'll need its password. Nothing is uploaded.

How to remove a password from a PDF

  1. Choose the PDF. Drop it above or click to pick it. The tool reads how the file is protected straight away.
  2. Type its password. The one you use to open it. If the file opens freely but blocks printing or copying, you’ll be asked for its permissions password instead.
  3. Check page 1 and download. Page 1 of the unlocked copy appears with its size and a Download button. The new file opens in any reader without a password.

You need the password. Nothing is guessed.

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

That is the common case: a bank statement, a payslip or a utility bill that arrives locked with a password you were given, and you want a copy you can open, print or attach without typing it every time.

Two kinds of PDF password

  • The open password (also called the user password) has to be typed before the PDF will show anything. Enter it here and it is removed.
  • The permissions password (the owner password) controls whether people may print, copy text or edit. A PDF can have one without the other. Restrictions are only removed with the permissions password, never with the open password alone.

If a file is encrypted but restricts nothing and needs no password, there is nothing to know, so the encryption is removed as soon as you choose it.

What happens to your file

The PDF is unlocked by an open-source PDF engine running inside your browser. Your file and your password stay on your device: neither is uploaded, stored or logged. Pages, text, images, links and form fields are copied across as they are; only the encryption is taken off. AES-256, AES-128 and older RC4 encryption are all supported.

Want to lock a file instead? Use Protect PDF to add a password with AES-256. Once a file is unlocked you can merge it with other PDFs or save its pages as JPG images.

Common 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, and never guesses or works around the encryption.
Is my PDF or password uploaded?
No. The PDF is unlocked in your browser with a PDF engine that runs on your device. The file and the password never leave it.
Why does it ask for a permissions password?
Your PDF opens without a password but has printing, copying or editing turned off. Those restrictions belong to a separate permissions password, and only that password removes them.
It says my password is wrong, but it opens the file in my reader.
Check caps lock and for a trailing space. 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.
Will unlocking change the content or quality?
No. Pages, text, images and form fields are copied as they are. Only the encryption is removed.
Which kinds of encryption work?
AES-256, AES-128 and older RC4 encryption, which covers PDFs made by banks, scanners and office apps.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no limit on files, and no watermark on the unlocked copy.