Remove the password from a PDF you are allowed to open, so you don't have to type it every time, and lift restrictions that block printing, copying or editing. You need the password for files that ask for one on opening: this tool does not crack passwords. Free, and the file never leaves your browser.
No PDF yet. You can also drop a file on this box.
| Your PDF | What happens |
|---|---|
| Asks for a password when you open it | Type the password once. You get a copy that opens without one and has no restrictions. Without the password the file can't be decrypted: no honest tool can do that for AES-256. |
| Opens, but printing, copying or editing is blocked | Unlocked straight away, no password needed. The copy can be printed, copied from, filled in and edited. Only do this for documents you have the right to use that way. |
| Not protected at all | The tool says so, and there is nothing to remove. |
Banks, payroll services, phone companies and tax offices often send statements and payslips as password-protected PDFs, usually with your date of birth or part of an ID number as the password. That's fine for email, but tiresome when you open the file every month, merge it with other documents, upload it to a portal that rejects encrypted files, or hand it to your accountant. Removing the password gives you a normal PDF you can keep in your own encrypted storage. Forms that block printing or copying are another case: some readers refuse to print them even though you are allowed to.
The page uses @cantoo/pdf-lib, an open-source fork of pdf-lib, to decrypt the PDF with your password (AES-256, AES-128 and the older RC4 methods are all supported), then saves a copy without encryption. Pages, text, links and form fields are kept exactly as they were. We tested it on files encrypted by qpdf with every method, and the unlocked copies matched the originals word for word and link for link. The file and the password stay on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Want to add a password instead? Use Protect PDF. Once unlocked, you can merge, compress or fill in the file.
If your PDFs come from web pages or HTML templates (invoices, reports, statements), the Shotmint API renders them in Chromium with real, selectable text:
curl "https://shotmint.creasework.com/v1/pdf?url=https://example.com&format=A4" -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" -o page.pdfEach render is 1 credit. €5 buys 2,000 with no subscription, and credits never expire. Try HTML to PDF or URL to PDF without a key.
Get 25 free renders a month API docs
Is my PDF uploaded? No. Everything runs in JavaScript on this page. The file and the password never leave your device, which is the point for a document worth protecting.
I forgot the password. Can you crack it? No. Modern PDFs use AES encryption, and without the password the content can't be read. Check the email or letter that came with the file: banks and employers usually explain the password format there.
Is the unlocked copy different? Only the encryption is removed. Pages, text, links, bookmarks and form fields stay the same.
Is it legal? Removing a password you know from your own document is fine. Lifting copy or print restrictions on someone else's document may breach its license, so check before you share it.
Is there a size limit? No limit and no watermark. Very large files depend on your device's memory.
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