Click to upload or drag & drop a PDF
A single PDF file · processed locally
You need the current password
This removes a PDF's encryption entirely given its correct password — it does not guess, crack, or brute-force a forgotten one. If you don't know the password, this tool can't help; a genuinely encrypted PDF is designed to be unrecoverable without it, by anyone.
Two different kinds of "locked"
Some PDFs need a password just to open them at all. Others open freely but block printing, copying, or editing — protected by a separate "owner" password you're never shown, with the open password left blank. If your file opens fine but refuses to let you print or copy, leave the password field here blank; qpdf can still strip those restrictions using the blank open password.
Frequently asked questions
Does this crack or recover a forgotten password?
No. You must already know the PDF's current password (or it must have no open password at all, only restrictions) — this tool decrypts using the password you provide, it doesn't attempt to guess or bypass one it doesn't have. That's a deliberate limit, not a missing feature.
My PDF opens fine but won't let me print or copy text — can this help?
Yes — leave the password field blank and click Unlock. Many PDFs restrict printing, copying, or editing using a separate owner password while leaving the password needed to simply open the file blank, and this removes that kind of restriction too.
Is it legal to remove a PDF's password?
Removing password protection from a PDF you own or otherwise have legitimate access to and the password for is generally fine — this is the same capability Adobe Acrobat itself offers as "Remove Security." It doesn't change any copyright or license terms attached to the document's actual content, which are separate from the password mechanism.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere when I use this tool?
No. Decryption happens entirely in your browser using a WebAssembly build of qpdf — your file and password are never sent to a server.