How to Remove a Password From a PDF

Two kinds of PDF protection

• Open password: the PDF will not open without it. The contents are encrypted with the password.
• Restrictions only: the PDF opens normally but blocks printing, copying text or editing.

Both can be removed when you know the password, and restrictions can be removed from a PDF that opens without one. A PDF whose open password you do not know cannot be unlocked by any honest tool.

Remove it in your browser

1. Open Unlock PDF and drop in the file.
2. If it only has restrictions, it is unlocked at once. If it needs a password, type it and click Unlock.
3. Download the unlocked copy.

Bank statements and payslips are often protected with a password such as your date of birth or part of your account number, as the sender explains. Because the file is decrypted on your device, neither the document nor the password is sent anywhere.

Other ways

• Chrome or Edge: open the PDF, enter the password, then Print → Save as PDF. The saved copy has no password, but it is a new PDF built from the printed page, so forms and links may be lost.
• Adobe Acrobat (paid): File → Properties → Security → No Security.

Protect it again later

If you need to send the document on, add a new password with Protect PDF.