Our PDF unlocker removes password protection from encrypted PDFs when you know the password. The unlocked copy keeps all original content — selectable text, images, form fields, annotations — and can be edited, printed, or combined with other tools freely. Everything runs in your browser: the PDF and the password never touch our servers or logs.
Step-by-step guide
- Upload the PDF. Drop in the encrypted file.
- Enter the password. Toggle the eye icon to confirm you've typed it correctly.
- Click Unlock PDF. If the password is correct, an unlocked copy downloads automatically. If wrong, you'll get an error and can try again.
- Save the output securely. The unlocked copy has no password — treat it the same way you'd treat any unprotected document.
Important: what this tool does and doesn't do
- Does: remove owner/user password from a PDF when you supply the correct password. The result is an unprotected PDF identical to the original in every other way.
- Does not: crack or guess unknown passwords. Brute-forcing PDFs is not supported and is a legal grey area we won't facilitate.
- Does not: add password protection. Our browser environment can't produce industry-standard encrypted PDFs, and weak browser-based encryption would be worse than none. For adding protection, use a desktop app like Adobe Acrobat, qpdf, or PDFtk.
When you'd use this
- Removing the password from your own protected PDFs so you can edit them in other tools.
- Stripping protection from bank or utility statements you received by email so you can archive them plainly.
- Preparing a previously-protected document for merging, splitting, or watermarking.
- Recovering access to a document whose password you've changed.
Tips
- Unlock before chaining other tools. Merge, split, crop, etc. all require an unlocked PDF.
- Only unlock PDFs you have the right to unlock.Bypassing DRM on content you don't own may violate the DMCA or equivalent laws in your country.
- The unlocked copy is unprotected. If you need continued protection, re-apply password protection with a desktop tool after you've finished editing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I unlock a PDF without knowing the password?
No. This tool only works when you enter the correct password. It does not attempt to bypass or crack encryption.
What happens if I enter the wrong password?
You'll see an error; the tool does not produce an output file. Try again with the correct password.
Will the unlocked PDF look identical to the original?
Yes. Text, images, form fields, annotations, and metadata are preserved. Only the password protection is removed.
Does the tool support PDFs encrypted with AES-256?
Yes, all standard PDF password encryption schemes (RC4-40, RC4-128, AES-128, AES-256) are supported — provided you know the password.
Is my password sent to a server?
No. The decryption runs entirely in your browser. Neither the PDF nor the password leaves your device.