Unlock PDF (Remove Password)
Remove the password or print and copy restrictions from a PDF you can open
Your files are processed in your browser. They are never uploaded, and nothing is stored after you close the page. How we handle privacy
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type or upload is sent to us or stored.
Keep a copy of your original file. Check the result before you use it. Terms of use
How to Use
- Choose or drop the locked PDF. The tool checks it and tells you whether it needs a password to open or only has restrictions on printing, copying or editing.
- If it needs a password, type the password you normally open it with. The eye button shows what you typed.
- Press Unlock and download (or Remove restrictions and download for a file that opens without a password). The first time, the PDF engine loads (about 1.3 MB).
- A copy ending in
-unlocked.pdfdownloads. It opens without a password. Your original file isn't changed.
Remove a password from a PDF you can already open
Banks, credit card companies, insurers, mutual fund registrars and employers in India send a lot of PDFs with a password on them. That's sensible for email, but it gets tiresome when you have to type the password every time, or when an upload form for a loan, a visa or an ITR document rejects a protected file. This Unlock PDF tool removes the password and saves a normal copy. You need to know the password: it doesn't guess or crack anything.
The work happens in your browser using qpdf, a well-known open-source PDF program, compiled to run in the page. Your file and your password stay on your device.
Two kinds of PDF lock
A PDF can have two different passwords, and the tool handles both cases:
| Lock | What you notice | What you need here |
|---|---|---|
| Open password (user password) | The PDF asks for a password before it shows anything | That password |
| Restrictions only (owner password) | It opens normally, but printing, copying text or editing is greyed out | Nothing: the restrictions are removed straight away |
When you choose a file, the tool tells you which kind it is. If it says there is nothing to remove, the PDF has no password or restrictions at all.
What actually happens to the file
A protected PDF is encrypted, usually with AES (128 or 256 bit) or, in older files, RC4. The password is used to work out the key that decrypts it. Once the right password is given, qpdf decrypts every part of the file and writes it out again without encryption:
Nothing on the pages is redrawn. Text stays selectable, images keep their quality, and the page count stays the same. The file size usually changes a little, because the file is rewritten.
Finding the password of a statement
Each bank and card issuer picks its own format, and they change it from time to time. Common patterns use part of your name, your date of birth, a customer ID or the last digits of an account or card number. The email or SMS that came with the statement normally explains the format, and so does the bank's website. If you're unsure about capital letters, try the name part in both lower and upper case.
Wrong tries don't lock anything. The tool tells you the password didn't work, and you can try again.
Use it responsibly
- Unlock only files you're allowed to open, such as your own statements, payslips and policy documents.
- The unlocked copy opens for anyone who has it. Don't leave it in a shared folder or send it by email without thinking about who can read it.
- If you need to send it on safely, put a new password on it with the Protect PDF tool.
- A forgotten password can't be recovered here. Ask the sender for a new copy instead.