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Remove PDF Password

Type the PDF's password once and download a copy that opens without it.

Select Password-Protected PDF

Maximum 1 file, 100MB

Select a protected PDF to unlock

Drop your PDF here

Drag file here or pick from your device

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How to

How to remove a password from a PDF

You need the PDF and the password you type to open it.

  1. 1

    Add the locked PDF

    Drop the file onto the upload box, or click Browse file to pick it from your device.

  2. 2

    Type the password

    Click Remove Password. In the box that opens, type the password you use to open the file, then click Remove Password again.

  3. 3

    Download the unlocked copy

    Download the new file, which has _unlocked added to its name. It opens without asking for anything. The locked file on your device stays as it was.

A locked payslip.pdf, its password typed into the Enter PDF Password box, and payslip_unlocked.pdf with the same three pages and an open padlock

Guide

What a PDF password remover can and can't do

A PDF can carry two passwords. The open password stops the file from opening until someone types it. The permissions password lets the file open but can block printing, copying text or editing. This tool saves a new copy with neither, so it opens straight away and nothing in it is blocked.

Two protected PDFs, one that asks for a password before it opens and one that opens but has printing and copying blocked, both turned into one unlocked copy that can be printed and copied

Unlock a file before you send it to other PDF tools. Merge PDF and Compress PDF both turn away a file that asks for a password. If the file needs protecting again afterwards, give it a new password with Add PDF Password.

Forgotten passwords

The tool does not guess or crack passwords. It needs the one that opens the file. If the password is lost, ask whoever sent the PDF, or download a fresh copy from the account it came from.

PDFs that open but won't print or copy

These unlock without the permissions password. The box can't be left empty, so type any character and click Remove Password. In our test, a PDF with printing and copying blocked came back with both allowed.

Pages, text and images stay the same

Every page comes back with its text still selectable. The photo inside our test file was byte for byte the same after unlocking, and the file size barely changed: 302 KB locked, 302 KB unlocked.

What the unlocked copy leaves out

The copy is rebuilt from the pages, so the document title and author, bookmarks and attached files are not carried over. Fillable form fields stop being fillable, but anything already typed into them still shows on the page.

Last updated: 15 October 2026 · ChangeMyFile

Tested: 15 October 2026. Locked a 3-page PDF with our Add PDF Password tool and unlocked it here: the copy opened with no password, kept all 3 pages and their text, and its image was unchanged. A wrong password returned an error and no file. Also unlocked PDFs encrypted with 40-bit RC4, 128-bit AES and 256-bit AES, and a PDF that opened freely but blocked printing and copying.

FAQ

Remove PDF password questions

At a glance

Files per run
1
Size limit
100 MB
Where it runs
Our server
Files deleted
Within 24 hours
Account
Not needed
Watermark
None

Can't find your answer? Visit our Help center.

Can I remove a PDF password without knowing it?
Not if the PDF asks for a password before it opens. You have to type that password here. A PDF that opens freely and only blocks printing or copying is different: it unlocks without its permissions password.
Is this PDF password remover free?
Yes. You don't pay or sign in at any step, from adding the file to downloading the unlocked copy.
How do I remove a PDF password on iPhone, Android or Mac?
Open this page in your phone's or Mac's browser, add the PDF from your files, type its password and download the copy. Nothing needs to be installed.
Why do I get "File has not been decrypted"?
The password didn't match. Passwords are case-sensitive, so check capital letters and Caps Lock. In our test, the right password typed with a lower-case first letter failed.
Is it safe to remove a password online?
The file is sent over HTTPS and deleted from our server automatically. Keep in mind that the unlocked copy has no protection, so anyone who gets the file can open it. Store it somewhere only you can reach.
Can I put a password back on the PDF later?
Yes. The Add PDF Password tool locks the copy again with a password you choose. The file then asks for that password every time it opens.