How to use the Unlock PDF
- Add the protected PDF.
- Enter the password that opens it. If the file opens without one but blocks printing or copying, leave the field blank.
- Press Unlock and keep the unprotected copy in a safe place.
Two kinds of PDF password
The open password, also called the user password, is needed to see the content at all. The permissions password, or owner password, only guards actions such as printing, copying and editing, and plenty of files carry that one alone.
Once the file is opened with the right password, or with none for a restrictions-only file, it is written out with no encryption, which removes the restrictions too.
Supported protection
RC4 at 40 and 128 bits and AES at 128 and 256 bits are handled. That covers what Acrobat, Word, macOS Preview and most bank or payroll systems produce.
Files secured with certificates or enterprise rights management services have no password to enter and cannot be unlocked with this tool.
After unlocking
Pages, fonts and images are copied across unchanged; only the encryption is dropped, so the unlocked copy is often a little smaller. It can now be merged, compressed, split or printed like any other PDF.
An unprotected payslip or statement can be opened by anyone who gets hold of it. Store it somewhere private, or lock it again with Protect PDF before you send it on.
Questions
I do not remember the password. Can you help?
No. The pages are encrypted with that password, so without it there is nothing to decrypt, and the tool makes no attempt to guess it. Ask the sender for it or for an unprotected copy.
Is the password sent anywhere?
No. The password and the PDF stay in this tab, and closing it clears both.
Why does it say there is nothing to unlock?
The PDF has no password and no restrictions, so it can already be merged, printed and copied as it is.
Can I unlock any PDF I receive?
Only unlock documents you own or are entitled to use freely. Someone else’s restrictions may be there for a reason.