Unlock PDF
Remove the password from a document you already have access to.
Runs on your device · one of 15 free tools
Drop your locked PDF here
Remove password protection & restrictions
How to remove a PDF password
- 1
Add the locked PDF
Drop the protected file in. The tool detects the encryption and asks for the password — it can't show a preview yet, because the content is genuinely unreadable until decrypted.
- 2
Enter the password once
Type the password you'd normally use to open it. Decryption happens on your device; the password is used in memory and never transmitted or stored.
- 3
Download the unlocked copy
You get a new file with no password and no restrictions — it opens directly, merges, compresses and prints without prompting. Your original locked file is unchanged.
What this tool is for — and what it isn't
This removes protection from documents you can already open: the bank statement that demands your PAN every single time, the salary slip with the password only HR remembers, the report you protected yourself and now need to merge with others. Entering the same password at every open, and being blocked from merging or compressing, is friction with no security benefit once the file is on your own machine.
It is not a password cracker. If you don't know the password, this tool cannot help — AES-encrypted PDFs without the password are effectively unrecoverable, and that's a feature of the format, not a limitation here. Removing protection from documents you aren't authorised to access may also be unlawful where you are.
Why you especially shouldn't upload a locked PDF to unlock it
Consider what an upload-based unlocking service receives: your encrypted document and the password that opens it, together, on their server. Those are exactly the two things that were keeping the document safe. Whatever their deletion policy says, you've reproduced the protected content and its key on infrastructure you can't audit — for a document that was, by definition, sensitive enough to lock.
Here the decryption runs in your browser using the same standard PDF cryptography a desktop reader uses. Password and document both stay on your device. You can confirm it: open the Network tab while unlocking, or disconnect from the internet first — it works anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Can this remove a password I don't know?
No, and nothing trustworthy can. Modern PDF encryption (AES-256) is not brute-forceable in any realistic time for a decent password. This tool decrypts with the password you provide — it's for removing friction from files you legitimately open, not for breaking into files you can't.
Is it legal to remove a PDF password?
For documents you own or are authorised to access — your statements, your payslips, files you protected yourself — generally yes. Circumventing protection on documents you're not authorised to access can be unlawful. If in doubt about a specific document, that's a question for a lawyer rather than a PDF tool.
What's the difference between an open password and a permissions password?
An open (user) password is required to view the document at all. A permissions (owner) password lets anyone read it but restricts printing or copying. This tool removes both kinds — for permissions-only files it often doesn't even need the password, since the content itself isn't encrypted.
Is my password sent anywhere?
No. It's used in your browser's memory to decrypt the file and never leaves your device. That's the entire reason to do this locally — an upload-based unlocker receives your document and its key together.
The tool says the password is wrong, but it works in my reader — why?
A few PDFs use non-standard or very old encryption that browsers can't decrypt. It's rare, but honest to mention: if a correctly typed password is rejected, open the file in a desktop reader and print to PDF — the printed copy has no password.
Can I re-protect the file with a new password afterwards?
Yes — unlock here, then use the Protect tool to apply fresh AES-256 encryption with a password you choose. That's also the route for changing a password you were given into one you'll remember.