Unlock PDF
Type the password you already have and get back a copy of the document that opens without one. Useful when a bank or utility sends statements locked to a reference number you have to re-enter every time.
Runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded.
How to use Unlock PDF
- 1Pick the protected PDF, or drag it onto the box above.
- 2Type the password the document opens with.
- 3Press Remove the password.
- 4Download the copy and store it somewhere sensible.
You need the password
This tool decrypts a document you can already open. It does not guess passwords, test lists of them, or attempt to recover one, and no version of it will: that is the line between a utility and a cracking tool, and it is not a blurry one.
The same goes for documents that carry only permission restrictions rather than an opening password. Stripping those without the password would mean removing a restriction on nothing more than the word of whoever uploaded the file, so the password is required either way.
What comes out
A copy with no encryption dictionary in it at all. Getting that right took a little care: simply saving the decrypted document leaves a reference to the old encryption behind, which produces a file whose contents are readable but which still announces itself as encrypted. Some readers cope. Some do not. The output here is rewritten so the leftover is gone.
Pages, text, images and metadata all come across untouched. The only difference is that the file opens straight away.
Think about where the copy lives
The document was encrypted for a reason, even if that reason was only a bank's default settings. The unlocked copy has no protection at all, so putting it in a shared folder or a mail thread gives it away to anyone who passes by. If the password was annoying rather than important, fine. If it was protecting something, keep the copy somewhere that is itself protected.
Limits
- 100 MB per file.
- The password is required. There is no recovery or guessing.
- Certificate-based and policy-protected PDFs are not supported.
- Very old RC4-encrypted files may not open.
Frequently asked questions
- I do not know the password. Can you get it?
- No. Nothing here guesses, tests or recovers passwords. Without it the document stays closed, which is how it is supposed to work.
- Is my password sent to a server?
- No. The decryption happens in your browser, so the password is used on your device and goes nowhere else.
- Can it remove restrictions on printing or copying?
- Yes, once the file is unlocked with its password, since the restrictions go with the encryption. The password is needed first.
- Why does it say my password did not work when I am sure it did?
- Check for a stray space, and remember that these passwords are case-sensitive. If it still fails, the file may use certificate-based protection, which this tool cannot open.