How to remove password protection from PDF
Drop the protected PDF onto the box above. The tool checks that it's actually encrypted, then asks you for the password. Type it, click Unlock PDF, and an unlocked copy downloads a moment later. Open the new copy in any PDF viewer — no password prompt, no restrictions.
The tool never sees or stores your password. Every step happens in your browser using client-side JavaScript. If you check DevTools → Network tab while unlocking, you will see no PDF or password upload requests.
This is not a password cracker
You need to know the PDF password. This tool decrypts using the password you provide — the same way Adobe Reader does when it shows the password prompt. A properly-encrypted PDF (any version's AES) with a decent password cannot be broken by any online tool. Sites that advertise "unlock PDF without password" either:
- Send your PDF to their server, where they might try a dictionary attack (only works on obvious passwords) — and now they have your document.
- Only work on PDFs with the older, weaker RC4-40 cipher (obsolete since ~2005). Modern PDF encryption is safe.
- Only remove "owner password" permission restrictions (the ones that prevent printing/copying), which is a much weaker layer than the "user password" that gates actually opening the file.
If you forgot a password you set yourself, check password managers (1Password, Bitwarden, Apple Keychain, Google Passwords), browser saved passwords, notes app or paper. If someone else set it, ask them.
When would you want to remove a PDF password?
- Bank statements your bank emails you with a standard password (date of birth, PAN, etc.). Once downloaded and verified, remove the password so you can search and print without typing it every time.
- Salary slips from HR — many companies protect these with employee ID as the password. Unlock once after downloading; store the unlocked copy in your personal files.
- Invoices and receipts for expense reports — some accounting systems reject password-protected PDFs; you need to unlock before submitting.
- PDFs you password-protected yourself that you now want to share without the password overhead.
- Archiving important documents — a password-protected PDF is one forgotten password away from being unrecoverable. Unlock and store somewhere secure (encrypted disk, password manager attachment).
Removing PDF password without Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat Pro can remove PDF passwords via File → Properties → Security → No Security, but requires a paid subscription (~$20/month). Adobe Reader (free) can only open protected PDFs, not modify them. This tool does the same job as Acrobat Pro's password removal, running in your browser instead of a paid desktop app.
How PDF password removal actually works
A password-protected PDF has an encrypted content stream. When you enter the password, the PDF viewer derives an encryption key from it (via a key derivation function like PBKDF2), then decrypts the content on the fly for display. To create an unlocked copy, this tool decrypts the same way, then re-saves the pages into a fresh PDF that has no encryption layer at all — not "encrypted with an empty password" but genuinely unencrypted, so it opens instantly in every viewer.
How to remove PDF password on iPhone or Android
Works on any modern mobile browser: Safari (iPhone/iPad), Chrome (Android), Samsung Internet, Firefox Mobile. Tap the drop zone, pick the protected PDF from Files, Downloads, iCloud Drive or Google Drive, enter the password, tap Unlock. The unlocked copy downloads to your device. No app install needed.
Privacy — the PDF and password never leave your device
Because both the PDF and the password are handled in your browser, nothing about them reaches our servers or any third party. This matters especially for password-protected PDFs because they're usually confidential (bank statements, medical records, salary slips, ID copies) — the whole reason they were protected in the first place is that the content is sensitive. Uploading such a PDF to an online unlocker defeats the protection: even if the unlocker deletes the file after processing, you now have to trust their word for it. A browser-only tool removes that trust question entirely.