Remove password protection from a PDF
Type the password you already have, or open a file that only carries usage restrictions, and download a copy with no protection. The work happens in your browser and the file is not uploaded.
- Files never leave your browser.
- No account needed
- No watermark added
- Works on any device
How it works
Step 1: Choose or drop the protected PDF.
Step 2: If the file asks for a password, type it in. Files with only restrictions open without one.
Step 3: Select Unlock PDF.
Step 4: Download the unprotected copy.
What unlocking a PDF really means
A PDF can be protected in two different ways. An open password (also called a user password) must be typed before the file shows anything. An owner password does not stop you reading the file; it only asks well-behaved software to refuse printing, copying text or editing. This tool handles both: give it the open password and it decrypts the file, or drop a file that opens freely but is restricted and it strips the restrictions.
Unlocking writes a new, unencrypted copy of the document. Your original stays exactly as it was, so you keep the protected version if you need to send it on. The rebuild is done with QPDF compiled to WebAssembly, which runs inside your browser tab, so neither the file nor the password is sent anywhere.
What it does not do is guess. If you do not know the password of a file that requires one, this tool cannot help you, and we do not offer password cracking. The purpose is convenience for people who are legitimately allowed to open a document.
Why use this tool
Password stays with you
The password is used inside your browser to decrypt the file. It is not transmitted, logged or stored by us.
Frees restricted files
A PDF that you can read but not print or copy from becomes an ordinary file again, so it can be merged, compressed or edited.
Original left alone
You get a separate unlocked copy. The protected file is not modified, so you can still forward it as it is.
No install, no account
Nothing to download or register for, and the result carries no watermark from us.
Common uses
Bank statements you must archive
Your bank sends a statement locked with a password based on your account details. Unlock it once so your accountant can open the archive without asking you for the code each time.
A scanned contract that will not print
A supplier's PDF opens fine but the print button is greyed out. Removing the owner restriction lets you print the copy you were legitimately sent.
Preparing a file for merging
Merge PDF and Compress PDF reject encrypted files. Unlock first, then run the next tool on the copy.
A report you protected yourself
You locked a report years ago with a password you still remember but no longer want readers to type. Unlock it and share a clean version.
Copying a quote from a locked paper
A journal article you have paid for blocks text selection. Lifting the copy restriction lets you cite a passage accurately.
Open password versus owner password
Most confusion about PDF security comes from mixing up the two passwords. The open password is real encryption: without it the content is scrambled and no viewer can show it. The owner password is a set of flags inside the file saying what the reader may do. Because the content is still readable, anyone's software can technically ignore those flags, and many free viewers do.
That is why a file with only owner restrictions opens instantly here without a prompt, while a file with an open password asks for it. If you are not sure which kind you have, drop the file and see: a password prompt means an open password is set.
- Open password set: you must know it. There is no way around it in this tool.
- Only owner restrictions: the file opens, and the restrictions are removed in the copy.
- Both set: enter the open password; the restrictions are removed at the same time.
If you have forgotten the password
Try the places passwords usually come from before anything else: the email or letter that delivered the file, the account number, date of birth or postcode your institution uses, and the person who created the document. Institutions often build the password from data they hold about you, and their documentation says how.
If none of that works, the practical route is to ask the sender for an unprotected copy. Modern encryption is designed so that a lost password cannot be recovered, which is also why we say plainly that this tool will not do it for you.
Supported formats
- Input
- One PDF file (.pdf) that is password-protected or has owner restrictions.
- Output
- One unprotected PDF file.
Files above 200 MB or 2,000 pages are refused with a message.
Good to know
- We do not guess or crack passwords. If a file needs an open password you do not know, it cannot be unlocked here.
- A wrong password is rejected; you can retry as many times as you like.
- Only unlock files you are entitled to unlock. Removing protection from someone else's document may breach their rights or the law where you live.
- Very large or complex files depend on your device's memory, so a phone may struggle with a heavy document.
Your files never leave your browser
This tool runs entirely on your device using your browser. Your files are not uploaded to our servers and are not stored anywhere. Closing the tab discards everything.
Frequently asked questions
Can this tool remove a password I have forgotten?
No. It needs the correct password to open a file that has one, and it never tries to guess or crack passwords. If the file only has printing or copying restrictions, no password is needed at all.
Is my password or file sent to a server?
No. Decryption runs in your browser using QPDF compiled to WebAssembly, so the file and the password stay in the page and are not uploaded.
What is the difference between removing a password and removing restrictions?
A password stops the file from opening at all, while restrictions only limit printing, copying or editing in a file that opens normally. This tool removes both, but the first requires that you know the password.
Is it legal to unlock a PDF?
It is fine for files you own or are permitted to open, such as your own documents or ones a sender gave you the password for. Removing protection from material you are not entitled to use can breach copyright or contract terms, so only unlock what is yours to unlock.
Will the unlocked PDF look different?
No. Only the encryption and restriction flags are removed, so pages, fonts and images are unchanged.