Remove a password you already have
Banks, payroll services and government sites often send PDFs locked with a password, usually a document number or date of birth. That protects the file in transit, but it's a nuisance when you need to open, merge, compress or print it repeatedly. Choose the PDF, type its password and press Unlock PDF to save a copy that opens without asking.
Some PDFs open without a password but block printing or copying. Leave the password field empty for those, and the restrictions are removed.
This tool only removes passwords you know. It doesn't guess or crack them; a wrong password is simply refused.
Your password stays with you
The file is decrypted by your browser on your device. Neither the PDF nor its password is uploaded, which matters for exactly the kind of documents that come with passwords.
How this works
The PDF is opened in a Web Worker with pdf-lib, using your password to decrypt it (the standard PDF security handlers: RC4, AES-128 and AES-256). If the password is right, the document is saved again without encryption, so any reader or PDF tool can open it. If it's wrong, nothing is produced.
Frequently asked
Can it unlock a PDF if I don't know the password?
No. It only removes a password you type in. It doesn't guess or crack passwords.
Is my password uploaded?
No. The PDF is decrypted by your browser on this device; neither the file nor the password leaves it.
My PDF opens but I can't print or copy. Can this help?
Yes. Leave the password empty and unlock it; the printing and copying restrictions are removed.
Is the unlocked file safe to keep?
It no longer has a password, so store it somewhere private. You can add a new one with Protect PDF.
Sources
- PDF Association — ISO 32000-2 (PDF 2.0), including the AES-256 security handler
- @cantoo/pdf-lib — create and modify PDF documents in any JavaScript environment
- ISO 32000-2:2020 — Document management — Portable document format — Part 2: PDF 2.0
Reviewed Oct 19, 2026 · test vectors fixtures/tools/pdf/unlock-pdf/