Unlock PDF
Unlock PDF removes the encryption from a protected document, as long as you enter the right password. It is not a password cracker: without the key, the file leaves exactly as it came in. It is the right tool for someone who has the password and is tired of typing it every time the document opens. All processing runs in your browser.
Three steps, nothing to install.
The whole job happens on your computer, start to finish.
Choose the file
Drag the protected PDF into the tool window, or click to pick it.
Enter the password
The same one your PDF reader asks for every time you open the document.
Download without encryption
Get a copy of the document that opens without asking for any password.
Does this open any protected PDF, even without knowing the password?
No, and this is the most important thing to know about this tool. Without the right password the document does not open here, just like it does not open in any other reader: there is no brute force attack, no bypassing the encryption, no back door. The tool asks for the key and tries to open with it; if the key is wrong, you get a clear error and no file.
So what is it for?
For someone who HAS the password and wants to stop typing it every time the document opens: a PDF you protected yourself, or one you received with the key sent separately, in an email or a different message. The result is the same document, with no encryption from that point on.
What happens to the content of the document?
Nothing changes on the pages. The only effect is the encryption disappearing: the text, images and formatting stay exactly as they were.
What if the PDF is not actually protected?
The tool opens it anyway and returns a copy, with whatever password you typed in the field making no difference.
I typed the password and it says it is wrong.
Check upper case, lower case and spaces: a PDF's encryption tells all of that apart. If you received the document from someone else, confirm with them that the shared password was not mistyped.
I do not know the password. How do I recover it?
You cannot, and no honest tool can do that in a reasonable amount of time. If the PDF is yours and was protected by a program synced to an account, that account is the right path to recover it. Someone else's protected PDF stays protected: that is the encryption doing exactly the job it exists for.
The tool asks for a password but my PDF does not have one I know of.
Some PDFs have a user password (to open) and a separate owner password (to restrict printing or copying), and sometimes only the second one is active. In that case the field can be left empty: the tool tries to open with no password and, if it succeeds, removes the restrictions all the same.
The file is too large and the tool refuses before even trying.
Documents with a very large number of pages hit a safety limit before spending too much memory. The message states the limit; split the file first and handle each part.
Questions about unlocking a PDF.
Do I need an account to unlock a PDF?
Yes. The account (magic link, no password) is needed for the subscription. This tool is part of the Premium subscription, EUR 1.99 a month, which removes the limits on every tool and adds OCR. Sign PDF opens on the free plan, with one signature a day.
Is this for opening someone else's PDF without permission?
No. Without the right password, nothing opens here or anywhere else. Only use this tool on your own documents or with permission from whoever protected them.
How is it different from Password protect?
They are the inverse pair of each other: Password protect encrypts an open PDF with a new password, Unlock removes the encryption from a PDF that already has one, as long as you know it.
Are my files kept on your servers?
No. Since nothing is sent, nothing is kept outside your browser.
Tired of typing
the same password?
Open the tool and try it. Nothing to install, nothing sent anywhere.
Open Unlock PDF