How to remove a password from a PDF
- Drop the password-protected PDF into the box above, or press "Choose PDF" and pick it from your computer or phone. The file is read by your browser and never sent anywhere.
- Type the document's password. Use the "Show" button to check what you typed. Upper and lower case matter, and so does your keyboard layout.
- Press "Remove password", or press Enter. If the password is correct, a download button appears within a few seconds.
- Download the file. It is saved as
yourfile-unlocked.pdf. Your original stays encrypted exactly as it was, and the new copy no longer asks for a password. - If the password is wrong the tool says so and lets you try again. There is no attempt limit, but the tool never tries to guess for you.
What this tool does, and what it does not do
The purpose is simple: you have a PDF that opens with a password you know, and you would like a copy that does not need one. The tool opens the document with your password and writes the same content out again without encryption. Pages, text, fonts, images, links, form fields and bookmarks are carried over as they are. Nothing is turned into a picture, so there is no loss of quality and text stays selectable.
Just as clearly, this tool cannot open a PDF whose password you do not know. It does not guess, run dictionaries or attempt to break the encryption, and we will not add such a feature. Properly applied AES encryption cannot be broken in practice when the password is reasonably strong. Sites that promise to "crack any PDF" generally either do something trivial, or waste your time, or want a copy of your file. If you have forgotten a password, the honest options are to check your password manager and the email or letter that came with the file, to ask the person or organization that sent it, or to request a fresh copy.
Why people legitimately remove PDF passwords
- Convenience for your own documents. A bank statement, payslip or insurance letter that you receive every month and always have to unlock by hand.
- Other tools need to read the file. Encrypted PDFs cannot be merged, split, compressed, signed, watermarked or numbered. Unlock first, do the job, and, if the content is sensitive, protect the result again.
- Changing a password. Remove the old one here, then set a new one with Protect PDF.
- Archiving. Some document management systems and search tools cannot index encrypted files.
Open password and owner password
A PDF can have an open password, which is needed to read it at all, and an owner password, which controls permissions such as printing and copying. The password box accepts either one. With the open password, the unlocked copy has no encryption and no permission limits at all.
Some documents open without asking for anything but still limit printing or copying. Those limits are protected by the owner password, so you need that password to lift them. The tool does not work around restrictions you do not have the password for. If you believe you are entitled to an unrestricted version, ask the author or publisher for one.
Legal and ethical use
Unlocking your own document, or one whose owner has given you the password, for your own use is ordinary housekeeping. Getting into somebody else's protected document without permission, or passing on a protected document that you have no right to share, is a different matter. Depending on the circumstances and where you live, it may breach computer misuse laws, such as the UK's Computer Misuse Act or the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, as well as data protection and copyright rules. The tool cannot tell whose document it is, so the responsibility is yours. Nothing here is legal advice.
Handle the unlocked copy with care
An unlocked PDF is readable by anyone who gets hold of the file. If it contains identity details, health information, salary data or client records, treat the copy accordingly: keep it in a folder only you can access, delete it when you no longer need it, and protect it again before sending it by email or putting it in shared cloud storage.
What to check when you see "Wrong password"
- Caps Lock and keyboard layout. A password typed on a different layout can produce different characters, especially for symbols and accented letters.
- Stray spaces. Passwords copied from an email often pick up a space at the start or end.
- Look-alike characters. Capital O and zero, lowercase l and the digit 1 are easy to confuse. Press "Show" to read what you typed.
- The pattern. Banks and employers often use a rule, such as part of an account number or a date of birth. The email or letter that came with the file usually explains it.
- Test in a viewer. Open the file in a PDF viewer with the same password. If it fails there too, the password is the problem, not this tool.
Privacy: file and password stay on your device
Decryption is done by qpdf, an open-source PDF toolkit that we ship compiled to WebAssembly and run in a background worker of your own browser tab. Your document and your password are never sent over the network, and once the page has loaded the tool keeps working with your connection switched off. Handing a protected document and its password to a random server would defeat the purpose of the password, which is why none of that happens here.
Why use this tool?
- Honest promise. It says exactly what it does: unlocks files when you provide the password, and nothing else.
- Lossless. Content is rewritten, not rasterized, so quality stays the same.
- Your original is safe. The unlocked copy is saved under a new name.
- No limits and no signup. Works in desktop and mobile browsers, free of charge.
Frequently asked questions
Can I open a PDF if I do not know the password?
No. This tool never cracks or guesses passwords; it only works when you enter the correct one. If you do not have it, ask the person or organization that sent you the file, or request a new copy.
Are my file and password uploaded to a server?
No. The file is read into your browser, the decryption runs in a worker inside the same tab and the result is saved from your browser. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tool still works.
It says "Wrong password" but I am sure it is right. What now?
Check Caps Lock, your keyboard layout and any stray spaces, and use "Show" to read what you typed. If the file came from a bank or employer, check how they construct the password. Try the same password in a PDF viewer to confirm it works there.
The PDF opens without a password but I cannot print or copy. Can this tool help?
Only if you have the owner password, which you can enter in the password box. The tool does not bypass restrictions you have no password for. If you believe you should have an unrestricted copy, ask the author or publisher.
Will removing the password reduce quality?
No. Pages are rewritten as they are, without being converted to images. Text remains selectable and fonts, links, forms and bookmarks are kept.
Does it work on certificate-encrypted or DRM-protected PDFs?
No. It supports PDFs protected with a standard password only. Documents encrypted for a specific digital certificate, or protected by a rights-management system, need the software named by whoever issued them.
It says the file is damaged, but I know it is encrypted.
The tool first checks the structure of the PDF. A file that was only partly downloaded, or whose internal index is missing, is reported as damaged before the password is even tried. Download it again, or open it in a viewer and use "Save as" to create a fresh copy.
Can I protect the file again afterwards?
Yes. Use Protect PDF to set a new password, and permissions if you want them. Together the two tools let you change a password in two steps.
Is it legal to remove a PDF password?
For your own documents, or documents whose owner has given you the password, it is generally just housekeeping. Accessing or sharing protected documents without permission can be unlawful in many places. This is not legal advice.
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no premium tier, no trial and no registration. The site is supported by unobtrusive ads that never sit next to the buttons.
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