‹ YuzoolGuideOpen app

PDF Tools guide

How to remove a password from a PDF, free and private

To remove a password from a PDF, open it in a tool that can save it without one, type its password once and save the unlocked copy. PDF Tools does this in your browser, so neither the PDF nor its password leaves your device. You need the password: nothing here guesses it.

Updated · 3 min read

How to remove a password from a PDF, step by step

  1. Open PDF Tools and choose Remove a password, then pick the PDF.
  2. Type its password when it asks. A wrong one asks again; capitals and spaces count.
  3. The copy without the password downloads, named …-unlocked.pdf. It opens anywhere with no password. Your original is unchanged.
Or just work on itAny job in PDF Tools opens a protected PDF once you’ve typed its password, so you can merge, sign, split or compress it straight away. What you download has no password unless you add one.

Which PDFs it works with

  • PDFs that ask for a password to open, when you know it: AES-256 and AES-128 (Acrobat, Word, Preview, banks’ statements) and the older RC4 kind.
  • PDFs that open but won’t let you print, copy or edit (they have only an owner’s password): PDF Tools takes the limits off with no password needed.
  • Not: PDFs protected with a certificate or a company’s rights management (Adobe LiveCycle, Microsoft Purview). Those need the sender’s software.
Only PDFs you’re allowed to openRemoving a password needs the password: PDF Tools doesn’t guess or crack them. Use it on your own documents, or ones you’ve been given the password for.

Why do it on your device

A password-protected PDF is usually private: a payslip, a bank or tax statement, a medical letter. Uploading it, and its password, to an “unlock PDF” website hands both to a stranger. PDF Tools takes the password off in your browser, and the file never leaves your phone or computer.

On a phone

On an iPhone or iPad, open PDF Tools in Safari, choose Remove a password and pick the PDF from Files or from Mail (save the attachment to Files first). The unlocked copy saves back to Files. On Android, pick it from Downloads.

Questions

How do I remove a password from a PDF?

Open PDF Tools, choose Remove a password, pick the PDF and type its password. A copy that opens without a password downloads straight away.

Can I remove a PDF password without knowing it?

No. PDF Tools needs the password, and doesn’t try to guess or crack it. A PDF that opens but stops printing or copying has no open password, and PDF Tools takes those limits off.

Is it free?

Yes, with no account and no limit on how many PDFs.

Is it safe to unlock a PDF online?

Many sites upload the PDF and its password to their servers. PDF Tools works in your browser, so neither leaves your device.

Which kinds of PDF password does it handle?

The standard PDF passwords: AES-256, AES-128 and the older RC4. Certificate and rights-management protection needs the sender’s software.

Will the unlocked PDF keep its forms and links?

Yes. Remove a password keeps the PDF as it was, just without the password.