Remove a Password from a PDF
Enter the PDF's password and get a copy that opens without one, with the print, copy and edit restrictions removed. Works with AES-256, AES-128 and older RC4 protection from Acrobat and other PDF software.
You need to know the password: the tool doesn't guess or bypass it.
How to Remove a PDF Password
- Choose the protected PDF.
- Enter its open password, or its owner password if the file opens freely but is restricted.
- Select Remove password and download the unlocked copy. The original on your device isn't changed.
This is useful when you've been sent a protected statement or report and don't want to type the password every time, or need to print, merge or fill in a document you have the password for.
Open Passwords and Restrictions
PDF protection, defined in the PDF standard (ISO 32000), can involve two passwords:
- Open password (user password): the content is encrypted and can't be read without it.
- Owner password (permissions password): controls restrictions such as no printing, no copying and no editing.
A PDF can have either or both. Entering either password here removes the encryption and every restriction at once. Many PDF readers already let you print or copy when you know the open password and the restrictions allow it; unlocking just saves you typing it each time.
Why "Wrong Password" Happens
- Case and keyboard layout: passwords are case-sensitive, and some characters sit in different places on other keyboard layouts.
- Restrictions only: when the file opens without a password, the open password doesn't exist, so only the owner password works.
- The sender's format: banks, employers and tax offices often build the password from details such as a date of birth or the last digits of an account number, in a format given in their email.
How Your File Is Handled
Unlocking runs on Orbit2x's server, not in your browser, so the PDF and the password are uploaded over HTTPS. The upload is processed in memory and discarded when the request ends. The unlocked copy is kept in memory for you to download once, or for up to 10 minutes, then it's deleted. File contents, file names and passwords aren't written to disk or logged. For a document too sensitive to upload, use desktop software instead, such as Acrobat's "Remove security" option or the command qpdf --decrypt --password=PASSWORD in.pdf out.pdf. See the privacy policy for the site's general data practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can it unlock a PDF if I've forgotten the password?
No. The tool needs the open password or the owner password, and it doesn't try to guess or bypass either one. For a file someone sent you, ask the sender; for your own file, check your password manager or the program that created it.
Which password should I enter?
If the PDF asks for a password when you open it, enter that one. If it opens freely but you can't print, copy or edit, it only has restrictions, and removing them needs the owner password, which the person who protected it set.
Will the unlocked PDF look the same?
Yes. The pages, text, images, links, bookmarks and form fields are kept. The file is rewritten without encryption, so its size and internal layout can change slightly, but what you see doesn't.
Which kinds of protection does it support?
The standard PDF password protection used by Acrobat, Word, Preview, qpdf and other software: AES-256, AES-128, and the older RC4 128-bit and 40-bit methods. It doesn't open PDFs protected with certificates or with document-rights systems such as Adobe Experience Manager or Microsoft Purview, which need a server or a specific account.
Is it legal to remove a PDF password?
Removing protection from your own documents, or from files you've been given the password for, is generally fine. Don't use it to get around restrictions on documents you aren't authorised to change or share; copyright and contract terms still apply to the unlocked copy.