Privacy First
Uploaded files are automatically and permanently deleted within two hours.
Automatic deletion
Unlock PDF
Remove the open password or the editing, printing and copying restrictions from a PDF you own – in seconds, without installing anything.
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Free: Unlock PDFs online with no sign-up and no watermark.
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Two cases: Enter the known password, or leave it empty to strip owner restrictions only.
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Privacy: Password and upload are deleted after 30 minutes, the unlocked file after 2 hours.
PDF password removal
Unlock a PDF you have the password for
Upload the protected PDF, type its password in the dialog and download a copy that opens without a prompt and without restrictions. Owner-only restrictions – no printing, no copying, no editing – are removed without any password at all. The tool is built on qpdf and handles RC4, AES-128 and AES-256 protection.
How to use Converter App
1
Upload the locked PDF
Drop the file into the box or import it from Google Drive. Only you and the server ever see it.
2
Enter the password
Type the password the PDF asks for when opening. If the PDF opens but blocks printing or copying, leave the field empty.
3
Download the unlocked copy
The new PDF has identical pages and content but no encryption, so it opens everywhere without a prompt.
Key features
All PDF encryption types
Works with 40-bit and 128-bit RC4, AES-128 and AES-256 (PDF 1.7 / 2.0) protection created by Acrobat, Word, macOS Preview or any other PDF tool.
Restrictions removed too
Owner-password restrictions such as 'printing not allowed' or 'copying not allowed' are removed from the copy – no password needed for that.
Content untouched
Text, images, bookmarks, links and form fields are copied as they are. The file is not re-rendered, so there is no quality loss.
Recovery is paused
Guessing an unknown password is not possible right now; that option is being rebuilt and will return. Until then the tool needs the correct open password.
Experience & privacy
Built for reliable document conversion.
Backed by 10+ years of engineering expertise in large-scale data and scientific computing, it’s built for real-world document workflows that require accurate layout preservation, strict privacy, and dependable, high-level performance.
Trusted by Users
Rated 5 stars on Trustpilot for speed, reliability, and ease of use.
User trust
Academic Use
Referenced in published research and used for interview transcription and qualitative data analysis.
Research use
How PDF unlocking works
PDF encryption is defined in the PDF standard itself (ISO 32000). When you know the open password, the viewer derives the encryption key from it and decrypts every page on the fly. This tool does exactly the same once, using qpdf – an open-source PDF library maintained since 2005 – and then writes the decrypted objects into a new file. The result is the same document without the encryption dictionary, which is why it opens in every viewer, prints, and can be copied or edited.
When you don't need a password at all
Many 'locked' PDFs only have an owner password that disables printing, copying or form filling while the document opens freely. Because that protection is a set of permission flags, not real encryption of the content, qpdf can drop it without knowing the owner password. Leave the password field empty for such files; you will still get an unrestricted copy.
Good to know before you unlock
- Digital signatures become invalid after unlocking – keep the signed original if the signature matters.
- Scanned PDFs stay images after unlocking. Use an OCR tool if you need searchable text.
- Unlocking does not reduce the file size. For smaller files use the Compress PDF tool afterwards.
- The dialog accepts passwords of any length and character set, including spaces and non-Latin characters.
Privacy and fair use
There is no account and no limit on the number of files within fair use. Uploads are removed after 30 minutes, results after 2 hours, and your password is never stored. Please only unlock documents you are allowed to handle.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an open password and owner restrictions?
A PDF can carry two passwords. The open (user) password encrypts the whole file – without it nothing can be displayed, and this tool needs it to unlock the PDF. The owner password only sets permissions: the PDF opens normally, but printing, copying text, commenting or editing is blocked. Those restrictions are enforced by the viewer, not by encryption, and are removed here without any password.
I forgot the password. Can you recover it?
Not at the moment. The password-recovery option, which tried common patterns and short passwords, is being rebuilt and is marked 'coming back soon' in the dialog. A PDF encrypted with AES-256 and a long random password cannot be recovered in any reasonable time by anyone; if you do remember part of the password, try the most likely variants in the dialog – each attempt takes only a few seconds.
Does unlocking change the content or quality of the PDF?
No. The unlocked copy contains the same page objects, fonts, images and metadata; only the encryption layer is removed. One exception: a digital signature will show as invalid afterwards, because any change to the file structure breaks the signature. Keep the original if you need the signature to remain valid.
Is it legal to unlock a PDF?
Unlocking documents you own or are authorised to use – your own contracts, invoices, reports or forms whose password you know – is normal document handling. Removing protection from someone else's copyrighted material may be illegal in your country. Converter App provides the tool for legitimate use only.
Why does the tool say the password was not accepted?
Passwords are case-sensitive and may contain spaces – check Caps Lock, the keyboard layout and copied trailing spaces. Some PDFs have both a user and an owner password; either one is accepted here. If the file is not encrypted at all, you will get an unlocked copy without errors.
What happens to my file and my password?
The upload, the password and the result stay on our server only as long as needed: uploads are deleted automatically after 30 minutes and unlocked files after 2 hours. The password is used once for the qpdf command and is not stored anywhere else. Transfer happens over HTTPS.