Bank statements, payslips and utility bills often arrive locked with a password, usually your date of birth or part of your account number. That’s fine the first time, but annoying when you open the file every month, and some apps and printers can’t open locked PDFs at all.
If you know the password, you can save a copy without it.
How to remove the password
- Open the editor and choose the locked PDF.
- You’re asked for the password. Type it and click Open.
- The PDF opens, with a note that it was opened with its password.
- Click Download. The copy you save opens without a password.
Your original file is untouched: you get a new, unlocked copy next to it.
This needs the password
Removing a password isn’t cracking one. You need to know it, the same as you would to read the file. If you’ve lost the password of an AES-256 PDF, no tool can honestly promise to recover it.
Is it safe to unlock a PDF online?
With most online unlockers, you upload the locked file and type its password into their website, which hands a stranger both the document and the key.
Here the PDF is opened and saved in your browser, and the password is used only on your device. Neither is sent anywhere.
Keep sensitive files protected
An unlocked copy of a bank statement is easier to leak. Keep it somewhere private, and if you need to send it on, add a new password of your own: open it, choose More ways to save, then With a password.