How to Remove a Password From a PDF (When You Know It)

Remove a PDF password in 3 steps

1. 1

   Open Remove PDF Password and add the file

   Go to Remove PDF Password and drop the locked PDF onto the page, or click Choose file. The tool shows Checking how this PDF is protected… while it reads the file's security settings.

2. 2

   Enter the password if one is needed

   If the PDF needs a password to open, a Password box appears. Type either the password you use to open the file or its owner password; both work. If the file opens freely and only blocks printing or copying, you see Restrictions only with a list of what is blocked, and no password is needed.

3. 3

   Click Remove password and download

   The tool writes a fully decrypted copy and checks that no encryption is left in it. Your download keeps the original name with -unlocked added.

Do you need to know the password?

Yes, for any PDF that asks for a password when you open it. The tool does not guess, crack or brute-force passwords. It uses the password you type to decrypt the file the same way a PDF reader does, then saves a copy without encryption. A wrong password gets the message "That password is incorrect" and nothing is written.

The exception is a restrictions-only PDF. Those files open in any reader without a password but have flags that ask the reader to block printing, copying or editing. The content is readable by design, so the tool can remove the flags without the owner password. Only do this for documents you own or have permission to change.

What changes in the unlocked file

• The open password is gone, so the file opens directly in any reader.
• All permission restrictions are cleared: printing, copying, editing, comments and form filling are allowed.
• Text, fonts, images, links, bookmarks and form fields are kept as they were. The pages are not re-rendered or flattened.
• Older RC4-encrypted files and AES-128 or AES-256 files are all handled.

Why other tools refuse your PDF until you unlock it

Merging, compressing, splitting and editing tools need to read the page content, which is encrypted. KissThePDF's other tools stop with "This PDF is password-protected" and point you here. Unlock the file first, then run Merge PDF, Compress PDF or whatever you need. If the result has to be protected again, finish with Protect PDF.

Fixing "That password is incorrect"

• Check Caps Lock, and use the eye icon to see exactly what you typed.
• Bank and payroll statements often use a pattern such as part of your name plus your date of birth. The covering email or the sender's website usually spells out the format.
• A different keyboard layout changes symbols such as @ and ". Type the password into a text field first to confirm it.
• Copying a password from an email can pick up a trailing space. Delete it before you click the button.

Remove a PDF password in Chrome

If you can open the PDF in Chrome, you can also type the password, press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac) and choose Save as PDF as the destination. This re-prints the pages into a new file, so form fields, bookmarks and links are often lost. It also fails when the file blocks printing. Remove PDF Password decrypts the original file instead, so everything inside it survives.

Frequently asked questions