Unlock PDF
Tired of typing the same password every time you open a document? Enter it once here and save an unlocked copy. The file and password stay on your device.
- Files stay on your device
- No sign-up
- Free to use
How to use Unlock PDF
- Drop the password-protected PDF onto the upload area.
- Type the password you use to open it. If the file opens without a password but blocks printing or copying, leave the field empty.
- Select Unlock PDF.
- Download the unlocked copy, which opens without a password.
Unlock PDF features
Removes open passwords
Produces a copy of the document that no longer asks for a password.
Lifts print and copy restrictions
Clears permission flags on files you are entitled to use freely.
Content untouched
Pages, text, images, bookmarks and form fields are preserved exactly; only the encryption is removed.
Password stays local
Decryption runs in your browser. The password is not sent or logged.
Clear error for wrong passwords
If the password is incorrect you are told immediately, and no output file is produced.
When to use Unlock PDF
- Saving an unlocked copy of your own bank or utility statement for your records.
- Preparing protected files for merging, splitting or converting with other tools.
- Removing a password you set yourself and no longer need.
- Enabling printing on a document whose owner has given you permission.
Unlock PDF FAQ
Can this open a PDF if I do not know the password?
No. A PDF with an open password is encrypted, and the password is required to decrypt it. This tool does not crack or guess passwords.
Is it legal to unlock a PDF?
Removing protection from your own documents, or from files you have permission to use, is generally fine. Do not remove protection from documents you are not authorised to access or redistribute.
My PDF opens normally but will not print or copy. What do I enter?
Leave the password empty and select Unlock PDF. Such files are encrypted with an empty open password and only carry restriction flags, which are removed in the unlocked copy.
Does unlocking change the document?
Only the encryption is removed. The content, quality and layout are identical to the original.
Why does it say my PDF is not protected?
The file has no encryption. If something still stops you editing it, the cause is not a password; for example it may be a scanned image or a signed document.
Two kinds of PDF protection
A PDF can be protected in two ways. An open password encrypts the whole document so that it cannot be read without the password. A permissions password leaves the document readable but sets flags that ask the reading software to disable printing, copying or editing.
Because the first kind is real encryption, it can only be reversed with the password. The second kind relies on software honouring the flags, which is why a file that opens freely can be saved as an unrestricted copy. In both cases the output of this tool is a normal, unencrypted PDF with the same content.
Unlocking is often a necessary first step. Tools that merge, split, compress or convert PDFs need to read the document structure, which is impossible while it is encrypted.