Free Unlock PDF
Unlock PDF removes a password you know, along with printing, copying and editing restrictions, from PDF files using QPDF compiled to WebAssembly. Files that only restrict permissions unlock without any password. It never guesses or cracks a forgotten password, and several unlocked files can be saved together as a ZIP.
- Removes:
- Open password and all restrictions
- Password:
- Needed only for open passwords
- Not supported:
- Certificate encryption
- Price:
- Free
- Runs:
- Locally, in your browser
- Uploads:
- None: files never leave your device
- Account:
- Not needed
Quick answers
Can it unlock a PDF if I forgot the password?
No. To remove an open password you must type it: the tool decrypts the file with your password, it doesn't guess or crack passwords. Files that only restrict printing or copying can be unlocked without any password.
Which restrictions are removed?
All of them: printing, copying text and images, editing, filling forms, commenting and page assembly. The list under each file shows what was restricted before.
Processed on your device: your files are never uploaded. How it works
Network activity in this tab
What this page has requested since you opened the site in this tab. An upload is any request that sends data: POST, PUT, PATCH or a request with a body.
No uploads: nothing has been sent from this page.
No network requests yet.
To see every request, open your browser's developer tools (Network tab).
How to use the Unlock PDF
- Drop one or more protected PDFs (or click to choose them).
- Files with only permission restrictions are unlocked right away. For files that ask for a password when opened, type the password (the owner password works too).
- Download each unlocked PDF, or all of them as a ZIP file.
Credits & open source
Built on open-source libraries. Thank you to the people who make these projects.
- qpdf-wasm (QPDF)QPDF, the PDF transformation tool, compiled to WebAssembly (QPDF itself is Apache-2.0). © neslinesli93 (WebAssembly build); QPDF by Jay Berkenbilt · ISC
- fflateFast ZIP compression for batch downloads. © Arjun Barrett · MIT
Web platform APIs used: File API, Web Workers, TextEncoder, URL API.
Full license texts: third-party notices · all credits
Frequently asked questions
Is my file or password uploaded?
No. QPDF, the open-source PDF tool, runs inside your browser as WebAssembly. The file and the password never leave your device.
Is it legal to unlock a PDF?
Only unlock documents that you own or that you are allowed to change. Removing protection from someone else's document without permission may break the law or the license of that document.
What about digitally signed PDFs?
Unlocking rewrites the file, so a digital signature in it will no longer validate. Keep the original if you need the signature.