Unlock PDF
Remove the password from a PDF you can open, or the limits on printing and copying, in your browser. Get a copy that opens freely. Nothing is uploaded.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded.
How to use
This tool makes a copy of a protected PDF without its protection, in your browser, so it opens without a password and can be printed, copied and changed.
- Add the PDF: drop it on the box or choose it.
- If it needs a password to open, type it. You need to know it: this tool doesn't guess or break passwords. The password is only used on this page, and is never saved or sent.
- The tool says what protects the file: a password to open it, limits on what you can do with it, such as printing, copying or changes, or both.
- Press Unlock PDF, then download the copy, named like contract-unlocked.pdf. The pages, text, links and bookmarks are as they were.
Some PDFs open without a password but have limits set by whoever made them. Unlocking takes those limits off too. Only do that with a PDF you're allowed to change, such as your own, or one whose owner agrees.
If you want to share the unlocked copy safely again, add a new password with the PDF protection tool. A digitally signed PDF keeps its signature, but the signature won't be valid in the unlocked copy, as the file has changed.
Frequently asked questions
Can it open a PDF if I don't know the password?
No. To unlock a PDF that needs a password to open, you type the password. Only limits on printing, copying or changes can be taken off without one.
Is the password sent anywhere?
No. The PDF and its password stay in your browser, on this page. Nothing is uploaded, and the password is forgotten when you open another file or leave.
Will the unlocked copy look different?
No. It has the same pages, text, pictures, links and bookmarks. Only the encryption and the limits are gone, so any PDF reader can open, print and copy from it.
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