PDF Unlocker
Make an unlocked copy of a PDF you can already open — for your own file, with a password you already have.
Click to choose a PDF, or drag & drop it
PDF only · decrypted in your browser, never uploaded
The password you already use to open this document. If the file opens without asking, use the PDF Password Protector to rewrite it without permissions instead — or try it here with any password that opens it.
Done
What this tool does
This tool writes a new copy of a PDF with the password and its permission restrictions removed. It covers two real cases: a document with an owner password that only sets permissions — no printing, no copying — which any reader will open without asking but which refuses to print; and a user password you already know, on your own bank statement, invoice or scan, where you want a copy that stops prompting.
The scope is deliberately narrow and the interface enforces it. A password is required before anything happens, and there is no guessing, no dictionary and no brute force. This removes a restriction from a document you can already open; it does not help anyone get into one they cannot.
Everything runs in your browser. The password and the document never leave your device.
How to use it
- Drop in the PDF that asks for a password.
- Type the password the file currently opens with. Use the checkbox to check it for typos if you need to.
- Press Unlock PDF. If the password is wrong, the tool says so plainly and tells you there is no recovery — it does not keep trying.
- The unlocked copy downloads immediately. It is written without compressed object streams on purpose, so the result opens in older readers too.
Common use cases
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Statements and invoices
Banks, utilities and payroll systems send PDFs locked to your date of birth or account number. Make a copy that stops prompting.
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Blocked printing
A document that opens fine but refuses to print or copy is usually restricted by an owner password. This clears it.
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Your own archive
Remove passwords from old files you locked years ago so they stay readable without you.
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Feeding other tools
The compressor, converter and text extractor cannot open an encrypted PDF. Unlock it first, then use them.
Frequently asked questions
Can this open a PDF whose password I have forgotten?
No. The tool requires the password up front and has no guessing mode of any kind. Modern PDF encryption is designed so that recovering a forgotten password is not feasible, and nothing here attempts it.
Is it legal to remove a password from a PDF?
For a document you own or have legitimate access to, removing a restriction on your own copy is routine — this is what qpdf and Preview do. It is not a tool for accessing material you were not given access to, and the requirement to supply the password is what keeps it that way.
What if the file opens without a password but will not let me print?
That is an owner-password restriction — the file is encrypted but readers open it silently. The password field still needs something in it before the tool will run; the value is not checked in this case, so type anything and press Unlock.