Unlock a PDF

Remove a password you already know, so the file opens without one. Decryption happens in this tab.

Runs in your browser · nothing uploaded

Add your file. Nothing is uploaded — the work happens in this tab.

Drop a PDF here

or

PDF · up to 100 MB

You can also paste a file from your clipboard

Runs on your device · nothing uploaded

How to unlock a PDF

  1. Drop the locked PDF inDrop it onto the box above. The tool detects the encryption and asks for the password.
  2. Type the password you knowIt is held in memory in this tab and never written down or sent anywhere. Removing a password requires the password — this is not a cracker.
  3. Unlock and downloadSelect Unlock. The document is decrypted here, rewritten without encryption and handed back to you.

Questions

Can this recover a password I have forgotten?

No, and no tool that runs honestly can. Removing the password requires the password. There is no cracking here and none is planned.

What about a PDF that opens but blocks printing?

That is an owner password, a permissions flag rather than real encryption. The tool can clear it without you knowing a password, and states which of the two it found.

Is my password sent anywhere?

No. Both the file and the password stay in this tab. Every competing service that unlocks a PDF receives both on a server.

Which encryption does this handle?

RC4 40-bit and 128-bit, and AES-128 and AES-256 — which covers everything current PDF writers produce.