How to Remove Password Protection From a PDF

What to Know

In a free PDF viewer open the PDF > Enter password > Submit > Print > choose destination > Save as PDF > Save > Enter name > Save.

In Adobe Acrobat DC, open the PDF > Enter the password > OK > File > Properties > Security > Security Method > No Security > OK > OK.

This article covers how to remove password protection from a PDF file using a free PDF viewer and Adobe Acrobat DC, a paid tool.

How to Use a PDF Viewer To Remove Password Protection From a PDF

For legal reasons, you should only ever remove password protection from a PDF that you possess and know its password. Passwords are typically added to prevent plagiarism or to encrypt the information so that it's safer to transmit online.

It's possible to follow very similar steps in most PDF viewer apps but we're using Google Chrome here as it's available on all formats including Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Open Google Chrome.
Click File > Open File.
Find your password-protected PDF document and click Open.
Enter the password of the document.
Click Submit.
Click Print.
Click on the Destination drop-down menu.
Click Save as PDF.
Click Save.
Enter a name for the new document and click Save.

How to Use Adobe Acrobat DC to Remove PDF Password Protection

While Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free PDF viewer for all, Adobe Acrobat DC is a paid app that offers enhanced features for users that regularly need to manipulate PDFs. It's also considered the more appropriate way of removing the security on a PDF.

Adobe Acrobat DC offers a free trial.

Open Adobe Acrobat DC.
Click Open File.
Find the file you wish to remove the password from and click Open.
Enter the password and click OK.
Click File > Properties.
Click Security.
Click the Security Method drop-down menu.
Click No Security.
Click OK.
Click OK one last time.
The password has now been removed from the file and you can click File > Save to save it or do anything you want with it.

What If You've Forgotten the PDF Password?

If you've forgotten the password to one of your PDFs, it can be trickier to remove the password protection.

In most countries, the only legal use of PDF password crackers is to remove the security on a PDF file that you have permission to access. Never use a PDF password cracker or removal method for a file that isn't yours to unlock.

There are numerous free PDF password remover tools that you can try. There's no guarantee they'll work as it depends on the security level of the PDF and other restrictions, but it's definitely worth trying.