Unlock PDF
Remove the password from a PDF you can open, and save a copy that never asks for it.
Runs in your browser. Your file and password are never uploaded.
Unlocked PDF downloaded
What unlocking a PDF actually does
A password-protected PDF is encrypted: its pages, text and images are scrambled with AES or RC4, using a key derived from the password. Typing the password lets a viewer rebuild the key and read the file. Unlocking does the same thing once, here in your browser, and saves the readable result as a new PDF without encryption. Nothing is guessed or cracked, which is why the password is required — and why the result is identical to the original apart from the lock.
Two kinds of lock
PDFs carry two different passwords. The open password (user password) stops the file opening at all; you will be asked for it after choosing the file. The permissions password (owner password) lets anyone open the file but asks viewers to disable printing, copying or editing. Statements and e-books often carry only the second kind. Those open here without asking, and the copy you download has the restrictions removed as well.
Forgotten the password?
There is no legitimate shortcut for an open password: modern PDFs use AES encryption, and without the password the content cannot be read. Ask the sender for the password or an unlocked copy, and check the email the file arrived with — banks and employers usually explain the pattern they use, such as initials plus a date of birth. Our guide on how to remove a password from a PDF covers other ways to do this in Chrome, Preview and Acrobat.
Adding a password instead
To put a password on a PDF before sending it, use Protect PDF, which encrypts the file with AES-256 in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Can this unlock a PDF without the password?
No — not a PDF that asks for a password before it opens. That kind of file is encrypted with a key made from the password, so without it the pages are unreadable to any honest tool. Ask whoever sent it for the password or for an unprotected copy. A file that opens freely but blocks printing or copying is different: that one unlocks with no password at all.
Is my PDF or password uploaded?
No. The file is decrypted inside your browser tab with the password you type, and neither the document nor the password is sent anywhere. That matters for exactly the files that tend to be locked: bank statements, payslips, tax forms and IDs.
What is the difference between an open password and restrictions?
An open password (also called a user password) is needed to view the file at all. Restrictions, set with a permissions or owner password, let anyone open the file but tell the viewer to block printing, copying or editing. This tool removes both, and the download is an ordinary PDF with neither.
Does unlocking change the content of the PDF?
No. The same pages, text, images, fonts, links and form fields are saved again without encryption. Text stays selectable and searchable, and nothing is re-compressed or re-rendered.
Is it legal to remove a password from a PDF?
Removing a password you were given from your own document — a statement, payslip or tax form — is routine. Removing protection from a document you have no right to, or to get around copyright or licence terms, may break the law or a contract. Only unlock files you are entitled to use.
My bank statement password does not work. What is it?
Banks usually build it from your details: often the first letters of your name plus your date of birth, or part of an account, card or customer number. The email the statement came with normally says which. Passwords are case-sensitive, so check capital letters too.