unlock
Remove password protection from your PDF.
Remove PDF password protection
Unlock the file.
Keep the document.
Have the password for a protected PDF? Enter it to open the document, remove its encryption, and create a separate unlocked copy that can be opened without the original password.
How unlocking works
Give the document its access back.
The password is used to decrypt the protected PDF. Once the encrypted layer is removed, the tool produces a new PDF without the original password requirement.
Add the protected PDF
Choose the encrypted document from your device or drop it into the preview area.
Enter the password
Enter the password that was originally used to protect the document.
Open and verify
The password is first used to open and render the protected PDF so you can confirm that it is the correct document.
Create the unlocked copy
The decrypted document is generated as a new file with -unlocked.pdf added to its original name.
What actually changes
Unlocking is not the same as editing a PDF.
A password-protected PDF can still contain completely normal pages, text, images, forms, and other document content. The password controls access to that encrypted document.
Unlocking removes that encryption requirement from the generated copy. It does not intentionally rewrite the document's visible content or turn it into another file format.
One important requirement
You need the correct password. This tool is designed to decrypt a PDF when you already have the password, not to recover or guess a forgotten one.
Already know the password?
Then the hard part
is already done.
If someone sent you a password-protected PDF and also gave you the password, unlocking it can make the document easier to work with in applications that don't need or support the original encryption.
Work with the document
Create an unencrypted copy when you need to work with the document in another application.
Archive a copy
Keep a version that does not require a password every time you open it.
Continue editing
Removing the encryption requirement can make a document easier to pass into another PDF workflow.
Processing
The password stays with the document.
The current implementation performs the PDF preview and decryption in the browser. PDF.js handles the document preview, while QPDF performs the actual decryption step.
The password is supplied directly to the browser-side workflow and passed to QPDF when the unlock operation starts.
After decryption, the generated PDF is turned into a browser Blob and downloaded as a separate file.
No password recovery
If you don't know the password, this tool cannot determine it for you. The unlock workflow requires the correct password before QPDF can decrypt the document.
Questions
Unlocking a PDF,
explained.
Can I unlock a PDF without knowing the password?+
No. The current tool requires the correct password to decrypt the protected PDF. It is not a password-recovery or password-cracking tool.
Does unlocking change the PDF content?+
The unlock operation is intended to remove the encryption requirement and create a new PDF copy. It does not provide editing controls for changing the document's visible content.
What file do I get after unlocking?+
The tool creates a separate PDF using the original filename with -unlocked.pdf appended before the extension.
Why does the preview ask for my password?+
PDF.js cannot render an encrypted document until the correct password is supplied. Once you enter it, the workspace can open and render the pages for preview.
Is unlocking the same as removing a digital signature?+
No. PDF encryption and digital signatures are different mechanisms. This tool is specifically designed to decrypt a password-protected PDF.
You already have the key
Unlock the PDF
and move on.
Enter the correct password, decrypt the document, and download a clean unlocked copy.