Unlock PDF — Remove Password & Restrictions
Take the password off a PDF you can open, or lift its print, copy and edit locks. Drop one file or a whole year of statements.
Drop locked PDFs here
or choose files from your device.
PDF up to 200 MB · unlocked on your device, never uploadedHow it works
- Drop one or more locked PDFs onto the page.
- If a file asks for a password, type it once. It is tried on your other files too.
- Download each unlocked PDF, or all of them as a ZIP.
Frequently asked questions
Can it remove a password I don't know?
A PDF that asks for a password before it opens is scrambled with that password, so you type it once and the tool saves a copy that never asks again. A PDF that opens freely but blocks printing, copying or editing is unlocked straight away, with no password at all.
What is the password for an e-Aadhaar PDF?
UIDAI sets it to the first four letters of your name as printed on the Aadhaar, in capital letters, followed by your year of birth. For example, Suresh Kumar born in 1990 would type SURE1990.
Where do I find the password for a bank or card statement?
Banks explain the password in the email that brings the statement. It is usually built from details such as part of your name, your date of birth or your customer ID, and the pattern differs from bank to bank.
Which kinds of PDF protection does it remove?
Every standard PDF password lock: 40-bit and 128-bit RC4, 128-bit AES and 256-bit AES, from Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, banks, tax and government portals. Slightly damaged files are repaired while they are unlocked.
Will the unlocked PDF look any different?
No. Only the encryption is taken off. Pages, text, images, links, bookmarks, form fields and attachments are copied as they are, and the text stays searchable and selectable.
Are my PDF and password sent to a server?
No. Unlocking runs on your device with qpdf, the open-source PDF engine, built for the browser. The file and the password never leave this page.
Two kinds of PDF lock
An open password (also called a user password) scrambles the whole file, so nothing can show it until the password is typed. Bank statements, card statements, e-Aadhaar and salary slips are usually sent this way. Type the password once here and you get a copy that opens straight away, every time.
A permissions password (an owner password) lets anyone open the file but blocks printing, copying text or editing. These restrictions are removed without any password: drop the file and download it.
Exactly the same document, minus the lock
Unlocking only removes the encryption. Pages, fonts, images, links, bookmarks, form fields and attachments are kept exactly as they were, and nothing is recompressed, so the file stays the same size and the same quality. If a file is slightly damaged, which is common with PDFs saved from old systems or cut short while downloading, it is repaired while it is unlocked.
The work is done by qpdf, the open-source PDF engine trusted by Linux distributions and document archives, built to run inside your browser. It handles 40-bit and 128-bit RC4, 128-bit AES and 256-bit AES, including passwords with accented letters or non-Latin scripts.
Unlock a whole year of statements at once
Drop several PDFs together. When one password opens a file, it is tried on the others automatically, which suits a folder of monthly statements from the same bank. Download them one by one or as a single ZIP.
Digitally signed PDFs
Some documents, such as e-Aadhaar, carry a digital signature. The unlocked copy looks exactly the same, but because unlocking rewrites the file, PDF readers can no longer confirm the signature. Use the unlocked copy for printing and sharing, and keep the original for anything that checks the signature.