Unlock PDF: remove password
Remove the password from an encrypted PDF you can open, or lift its printing and copying restrictions, and save an unlocked copy.
Process locally
Files stay in this browser session. Closing or clearing releases them.
Choose files
PDF, one at a time
Drop files here, or
Adjust settings
Nothing to set; defaults work
This tool has no settings.
Run
Processes in this browser; cancel at any time
About this tool
Unlock a PDF by removing its password: enter the password once and get a copy that opens without it, ready to archive, merge, print or upload to services that cannot read protected files.
PDFs that open without a password but block printing, copying or editing are unlocked too, with their restrictions removed. Decryption runs in your browser with qpdf compiled to WebAssembly, so neither the file nor the password leaves your device. Only unlock files you have the right to change.
How to use it
- Choose the protected PDF, or drop it on the page.
- Type the “Current password”. If the PDF opens without a password and only restricts printing or copying, type any text.
- Select Run, then download the unlocked PDF.
Formats and limits
- Input
- PDF, one at a time; Text
- Output
- Size limit
- 80 MB
- Page limit
- 500 pages
- Privacy
- Files stay in the current browser session. No file bytes are uploaded.
- Price
- Free, no sign-up
Common questions
Can it unlock a PDF without the password?
Only when the PDF opens without one. A PDF that asks for a password when it opens is encrypted with that password, and there is no shortcut: without it the file cannot be decrypted, here or anywhere else.
Which kinds of PDF encryption are supported?
The standard PDF password encryption in all its versions: RC4 with 40 or 128 bits and AES with 128 or 256 bits, as written by Acrobat, Word, bank statement systems and other PDF tools. A wrong password is refused with the code WRONG_PASSWORD.
Does unlocking change anything else?
No. Pages, text, images, bookmarks and form fields are kept; only the encryption and the permission restrictions are removed. A digital signature in the file no longer validates afterwards, since the file has changed.
Why do I get NOT_ENCRYPTED?
The PDF has no password and no restrictions, so there is nothing to remove, and you can use it as it is.
Are my PDF and password uploaded?
No. Both stay in your browser. The password is used once to decrypt the file and is not kept with the page, its settings or workflows.
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