Unlock PDF — remove a password you know
Type the password you already have and get back a PDF that opens with no prompt.
Drop your files here
.pdf · up to 300 MB
How to Remove password
- 1
Drop the locked PDF in
Add one file or up to twenty. Your browser reads them; nothing is sent anywhere.
- 2
Type the password you already have
One password covers the whole batch. If the document opens without a password but blocks printing, leave the field empty: only the owner restrictions need lifting.
- 3
Download the file with no password
Save a copy that opens straight away in any reader. Several files come back as one ZIP archive.
What this tool does, and what it will never do
It removes a password you know from a document you are entitled to open. You type the password, the file is decrypted in your browser, and the copy you download opens with no prompt. It also lifts owner restrictions from files that open without any password but refuse to print or allow copying. It does not recover, guess or brute-force a password you have forgotten, and no dictionary or cracking library is bundled with it. Password guessing is not a missing feature that might arrive later; it is the line between working with your own document and breaking into somebody else's. Three wrong passwords in a row and the button pauses for thirty seconds.
Nothing else about the document changes
Only the encryption layer is rewritten. Page count, page order, the text layer, bookmarks, links, form fields and embedded fonts come through as they were, so a decrypted contract is still character for character the contract you were sent. Turn off the restrictions toggle and the original printing and copying permissions are read from the file and carried over unchanged.
The password never leaves this tab
qpdf is compiled to WebAssembly and runs inside this page. The document is decrypted in browser memory and handed straight back as a download. Your password goes into the engine and nowhere else: it makes no network request, it is not written to storage, it is not carried into the next tool, and closing the tab erases it.
Frequently asked questions
Can you recover a password I have forgotten?
No, and this is deliberate rather than a limitation. Guessing a password is breaking into a document, not working with your own, so no brute-force or dictionary attack is built in and none will be. If the password is lost, go back to whoever created the file and ask for a fresh copy.
Is my file or my password sent to a server?
Neither. The engine is WebAssembly running in this tab, so the document is decrypted on your own machine and the password is used only as an argument to that engine. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is logged, and there is no server-side copy for anyone to delete.
What is the difference between a user and an owner password?
The user password opens the document; without it there is nothing to read. The owner password only controls permissions such as printing and copying, and a file can carry one without the other. That is why some PDFs open instantly yet still refuse to print.
Why does my PDF open but refuse to print?
It carries an owner password with restrictive permission bits and an empty user password. Any reader can open it, but printing, copying or editing are switched off. Leave the password field empty and the restrictions are removed without you typing anything.
Are pages, bookmarks and the text layer preserved?
Yes. Only the encryption is stripped away. Page count and order, the selectable text layer, bookmarks, internal and external links, annotations and form fields are copied across untouched, and the file size normally lands within a few percent of the original.
Why is there a pause after three wrong passwords?
So the form cannot become a guessing machine. The first two mistakes cost a second each, the third costs thirty seconds and an explanation. Typos are forgiven quickly; systematic guessing is made pointless. The counter lives in this tab and resets when you choose a different file.
May I remove the password from someone else's PDF?
No. This tool is for documents you own or are authorised to open, using a password you were given. Removing protection from a file that is not yours is a matter for its owner and, in many places, for the law. When in doubt, ask the sender.
How do I put a password back on afterwards?
Use our Protect PDF tool, which encrypts the document again with AES-256 and lets you set printing and copying permissions. A common round trip is to remove the password, edit or compress the file, then protect it again with a new password.
Guides
- PDF to Word on a Mac Without Acrobat: Three Ways and What Each KeepsOn a Mac, Preview copies text and Pages cannot open a PDF, so the built-in route ends in copy and paste. Here is what each route keeps, from Word's own conversion to an online tool that rebuilds the file as DOCX on our server.
- The Right Way to Password-Protect a PDF Before Emailing ItPutting a password on a PDF can mean two very different things, and only one of them stops someone from reading the file.
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