How to remove the password from a PDF
Upload the locked PDF to Unlock PDF, enter its current password, and download the unlocked copy. It only works if you know the password; it does not guess or break unknown ones.
🔓 Unlock PDF
Remove a password from a PDF you own the password to.
Step by step
- Open the Unlock PDF tool and upload the protected file.
- Enter the file's current password.
- Click "Unlock PDF" and download the new file.
- Open the unlocked copy. It should open straight away with no password prompt.
- If you still want the document protected, add a new password with Protect PDF.
Why you would unlock your own PDF
- You are tired of typing the password every time you open the file.
- Merging, splitting, rotating and editing tools cannot read a protected file, so the password has to come off first.
- You are archiving documents where the password no longer serves a purpose.
What this tool will not do
It does not crack passwords. If you do not know the password, the tool cannot open the file, and nothing on this site will guess it for you. That is deliberate: it keeps the tool for people working with their own documents.
Good to know
- The unlocked copy has the same pages and content; only the password protection is gone.
- Unlocking is handled by a third-party conversion service, CloudConvert, for just this file, as described in our privacy policy. The file is removed from our servers automatically.
- After unlocking you can work on the file as normal, for example merge it with others or extract some pages.
Ready to try it? It takes a few seconds and no signup.
Open Unlock PDFFrequently asked questions
Can this recover a forgotten password?
No. It only removes a password you can supply. It does not try to guess or break unknown passwords.
Will unlocking change my document?
No. Pages and content stay the same; only the password requirement is removed.
Why do other tools say my PDF is encrypted?
Tools like merge, split and edit cannot read a password-protected file. Unlock it first, then use them.
Is my file shared with anyone?
It is passed to a trusted conversion service solely to remove the password, as described in our privacy policy, and is deleted from our servers automatically.
Can I put a password back afterwards?
Yes. Use the Protect PDF tool to add a new password to the unlocked copy.
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