Decrypt PDF
Remove the password protection from a PDF
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About Decrypt PDF
Removes the password protection from a PDF whose password you have, and writes an ordinary copy that opens anywhere without asking. Either password works: the one that opens the file, or the permissions password that locks printing and copying.
Decryption happens in your browser, so neither the password nor the decrypted content is ever transmitted — the distinction that makes a server-side decryptor unsuitable for confidential documents.
How to use Decrypt PDF
- Load the protected PDF.
- Type its password — the one that opens it, or its permissions password.
- Click Unlock PDF. The copy is opened again without a password before you get it, and nothing is offered unless every page opens.
- Download the unprotected copy.
On a production
An encrypted document is a nuisance in an archive — it cannot be indexed, searched or opened by anyone who was not on the original distribution. Once the confidentiality window has closed, stripping the password makes the file useful again.
Frequently asked questions
- Can this open a PDF whose password I do not have?
- No. This removes protection from documents you can already unlock — it is not a password cracker and will not attempt to guess. Without the password the content is unreadable.
- Which kinds of protection can it remove?
- The password protection built into the PDF format, whichever program applied it: RC4 with a 40- or 128-bit key, and AES with a 128- or 256-bit key. A PDF locked to a certificate or to a rights-management service has no password to type; the tool tells you so instead of writing a copy.
- What does the unprotected copy keep?
- Everything the original holds — pages, bookmarks, links, form fields with their values, attachments and document properties. What goes is the encryption, and with it every printing, copying or editing restriction. The file is saved anew, so a digital signature in it no longer validates.
- What about a PDF that opens but will not let me print?
- That PDF has a permissions password but no open password. Remove Restrictions deals with it without asking for anything. This tool works as well: whatever you type, it removes the restrictions and tells you that no password was needed.
- Is the password stored anywhere?
- No. It is held in memory for the duration of the operation and discarded when you leave the page. It is never written to disk or sent over the network.