Remove PDF Password

Enter the password of a protected PDF you own and download a clean, unlocked copy. Decryption runs entirely in your browser — the file and password never leave your device.

pdf-decrypt · runs locally
Drop a password-protected PDF here or click to browse. It stays on your device.

Unlock a PDF without handing it to a stranger

The standard advice for removing a PDF password is to upload the file — and its password — to a converter site. Think about what that means: the two secrets protecting your document, sent together to a server you know nothing about. This tool keeps both in your browser. It loads the PDF locally, decrypts it with the password you enter, strips the encryption dictionary, and saves a clean copy — then verifies the result actually opens without a password before handing it to you.

How to remove the password

  1. Drop the protected PDF onto the panel.
  2. If it only carries permission restrictions (no open password), your unlocked copy downloads immediately.
  3. Otherwise, enter the document’s password and click Unlock & download.

Two kinds of “locked” PDF

PDF encryption supports two passwords. A user password is required just to open the file — removing it requires knowing it, no exceptions. An owner password only enforces restrictions like “no printing” or “no copying” on a file anyone can read; since the content is readable by design, those restrictions can be lifted without any password, and this tool does so automatically. Need to go the other way and protect a document instead? Use the Protect PDF with Password tool — same engine, same privacy, run in reverse.

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF or password sent anywhere?

No. The file is decrypted with JavaScript in your browser and the password never leaves the page. For a document sensitive enough to carry a password, that is the whole reason to prefer a local tool over an upload-based one.

Can this remove a password I don't know?

No — this is not a password cracker. You must enter the document's correct password; the tool then saves a copy without encryption. The one exception is PDFs that restrict only permissions (printing, copying) without an open password: those unlock automatically because they are readable by design.

Is removing a PDF password legal?

Removing protection from documents you own or have the right to use — your own archives, invoices addressed to you, files whose password you were given — is the normal use case. Circumventing protection on documents you have no rights to may violate laws like the DMCA and is not what this tool is for.

Why would I remove a password at all?

Password-protected PDFs are awkward to archive, search, print in bulk or process with other tools — and a password you use daily is a password you will eventually mistype into the wrong box. Once a document is stored somewhere already secured, the extra password often subtracts more than it adds.