Unlock PDF

How do I remove a password from a PDF?

1. Drop one or more password-protected PDFs onto the drop zone, or click it to choose them.
2. Type the password into Current password; it stays on your device.
3. Click Remove password.
4. Download the unlocked PDF, or click Download all as ZIP if you unlocked several files that share the same password.
5. Keep the original if you still need a protected copy; the unlocked file opens without a prompt.

Unlock PDF opens the encrypted document with the password you supply, using pdf-lib in your browser, and then saves a fresh copy with no encryption at all. The pages themselves are copied unchanged, so text stays selectable, images keep their resolution and the file size is about the same. Once the document has been opened with the correct password, both kinds of protection go: the open password that stops the file being read, and the owner restrictions that stop printing, copying or editing in viewers that honour them.

To be clear about what this is not: it is not a password cracker. There is no brute-force attempt, no dictionary and no exploit. If you type the wrong password the tool simply reports that it could not open the file. It exists for the everyday case where you have a legitimate PDF, such as a bank statement, payslip or utility bill that arrived with a password, and you want to file it or forward it without typing that password every time. If you have lost the password, the only route is to ask whoever issued the document.

Several files can be unlocked at once if they share the same password, which is common with monthly statements from the same provider; the results come back as a ZIP. Files with different passwords need separate runs. There is no file size limit beyond device memory, no signup and no watermark. If you later need to protect the unlocked copy again, Protect PDF applies fresh AES-256 encryption with a password of your choosing.

Privacy is the reason to do this in the browser. The password is typed into a field in the page and used only by the code running on your device; it is never sent anywhere, and neither is the PDF. Nothing is stored, and closing the tab discards everything. That makes it safe for financial and medical documents where uploading the file and its password to a third-party server would be a poor idea.

How it works: this tool uses pdf-lib and PDF.js (Mozilla), open-source libraries loaded into your browser. No server is involved, so Kilnfile never sees your file. Last reviewed 20 September 2026.

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