How to Remove a Password from a PDF You Own
Remove a password or the restrictions from a PDF you are allowed to open, locally in your browser, so it can be merged, searched, or printed.
Open Unlock PDF — free, in your browser
Two different kinds of PDF password
An open password is the one you type before the document appears. An owner password leaves the file readable but blocks printing, copying, or editing. Either can be stripped from a copy of the file, and what you get back is an ordinary PDF you can merge, search, or print.
Steps to unlock a PDF
- Open the Unlock PDF tool and select your file.
- If the document has an open password, type it when asked.
- Unlock the file and download the unprotected copy.
- Keep the protected original if you still need it.
If you do not have the password
This is not a password cracker. A document with an open password cannot be opened without that password, here or anywhere else that respects the encryption. Ask whoever sent the file to resend it unprotected or to share the password, and only remove protection from documents you are entitled to read.
What to do with the unlocked copy
Once the restrictions are gone the file behaves like any other PDF, so the rest of the toolkit works on it. Protect it again with a new password when you are finished if it still has to travel securely.
Merge it with another PDF · Add a new password · How to merge PDF files