Unlock PDF

This page removes a password only when you know it. It cannot recover or bypass a lost password.

Drop a password-protected PDF hereThe file is decrypted in your browser and is not uploaded.

How to remove a password from a PDF

Drop the password-protected PDF onto the page, or click to choose it
Type the password you already use to open it

If the file opens without one but has restrictions, type its owner password.
Press Unlock PDF
Download the copy

It opens without a password.

Common use cases

Archiving bank statements and payslips that arrive with a password

Preparing a protected PDF for merging, splitting or compressing, which need an unencrypted file

Printing a document whose owner password you hold

Sharing a document inside a team after the original sender has given you the password

Why remove a PDF password?

A password you have to type every time gets in the way of a file you own: a bank statement you archive, a contract you merge with other documents, a report you want to print. Unlock PDF saves a copy without the password, on this page, after you type it once. Several PDF tools, such as merging or compressing, can only work on a file that is not encrypted.

Unlock PDF removes the password from a PDF you are allowed to open. You type the password you already know, and the page saves a copy that opens without it. The file is decrypted in your browser on this page and is not uploaded, and Unlock PDF has no REST or MCP version, because an API would have to receive the password.

Some PDFs open without a password but carry an owner password that limits printing, copying or editing. Unlock PDF removes those limits only when you type the owner password. It does not guess, crack or bypass passwords, and it cannot recover a lost one.

An unlocked copy works with every other PDF tool, for example the PDF Merger and PDF Compress. To add a password again, use Protect PDF.

How it compares

Online PDF unlockers usually upload the protected file, and often the password with it, to a server. On this page the decryption runs in your browser, so neither leaves your device. Some unlockers also remove owner restrictions without the owner password; this page does not, and it never tries to guess a password.

Unlock PDF Tips

Passwords are case-sensitive. If the password is rejected, check Caps Lock first.
Statements from banks often use a date of birth or part of an account number as the password; the letter that came with the file usually says which.
Unlock a copy and keep the protected original if you must keep the file secure.
If you do not know the password, ask the person who sent the file. This page cannot recover it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove a password from a PDF?

Drop the PDF onto this page, type the password you use to open it, and press Unlock PDF. The page decrypts the file in your browser and saves a copy that opens without a password. You need to know the password; the page cannot find it for you.

Can Unlock PDF remove a password I do not know?

No. It removes a password only when you type it. It does not guess, crack or bypass passwords, and a lost password cannot be recovered here. Ask the person who sent the file for the password.

What is an owner password?

An owner password is a second password a PDF can carry. It limits what a reader allows, such as printing, copying text or editing, even when the file opens without any password. Unlock PDF removes those limits only when you type the owner password.

What does the unlocked copy remove?

The copy has no encryption, so it opens without a password and carries no print, copy or edit limits. The pages, text and images are unchanged. Your original file is not changed.

Is my PDF or password uploaded?

No. On this page the PDF is decrypted in your browser, and the password is never sent anywhere. Unlock PDF has no API version for that reason.

Why is my password rejected?

Passwords are case-sensitive, so Caps Lock is the usual cause. Some files use different passwords to open and to change restrictions: if the file opens without a password but has restrictions, the page asks for the owner password, which is often not the one you use to open other files from the same sender.

Why do other PDF tools ask me to unlock a file first?

Merging, splitting, compressing and editing need to read and rewrite the content of the file, which an encrypted PDF hides. Unlock the file here with its password, then use the other tool on the unlocked copy.

Which encryption does Unlock PDF support?

The PDF standard password security handler with AES-256, AES-128 or RC4 encryption, which is what most PDF software writes when you set a password. Files protected with a certificate instead of a password are not supported.