How it works, tips and questions
Upload a PDF you are allowed to open to Unlock PDF, type its current password and download a copy with no password.
Step by step
- Upload the protected PDF.
- Enter the password the document already uses.
- Download the copy with the password removed.
Good to know
This removes a password you know
It is not a password cracker, and it cannot open a document you do not have the password for. The intended use is the everyday one: a bank or utility statement that arrives encrypted with your date of birth, which you then have to retype every single time you open it.
Unlock first, then do anything else
Encrypted PDFs cannot be merged, split, compressed or converted while they are still locked. If another tool has refused your file, removing the password here first is usually what unblocks it.
Questions
Can this open a PDF whose password I do not know?
No. The correct password has to be supplied - there is no way around the encryption, by design.
Is it legal to remove a password?
Removing protection from your own documents, or ones you have been given the password for, is entirely normal. Removing it from documents you have no right to is not.
Do you keep the password or the file?
Neither. Both are discarded once the unlocked copy has been produced.
My bank statement password is not working - why?
These are usually case-sensitive and follow a specific pattern, such as a name in capitals followed by a date. Check the covering email for the exact format.
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