How to unlock a PDF
- Type the password in the PDF password box. Leave it empty if the file opens without one but blocks printing or copying.
- Select Choose files or drop your PDF on the box.
- Wait a moment while the file is decrypted.
- Select Download. The new file ends in
-unlocked.
If the password is wrong, the row says so. Change the password box, then add the file again.
What this tool does, and what it does not
PDF files can be protected in two ways. An open password (also called a user password) is needed to read the file at all. An owner password only sets rules, such as no printing or no copying, while the file still opens for anyone. This tool removes both kinds, but it needs the open password if there is one. It never tries to guess passwords.
Under the hood it uses qpdf, a well-known open source PDF tool, built for the browser with WebAssembly. It reads the file with your password and writes a new copy without encryption. Nothing else about the document is changed.
Why unlock a PDF
- Your bank, school or office sent a statement that opens with a password, and you want a copy you can read without typing it each time.
- Another tool, such as one that merges or edits pages, refuses locked files.
- A scan or form has printing disabled and you need a paper copy.
Remember that an unlocked file is readable by anyone who gets it. Keep it somewhere private, or lock it again with Protect PDF before you share it.
Tips
- Passwords are case sensitive. Check caps lock and any spaces before you try again.
- Old files can use weaker encryption and still unlock the same way. Newer files use AES-256, which also works.
- Unlock first, then combine files with Merge PDF or shrink them with Compress PDF.
- Not sure whether a file is encrypted? Open it in PDF page counter, which reports encryption.
Your PDF and your password stay on your device the whole time.