Protect & sign

Unlock a PDF you have the password for

Provide the password once, get a clean unprotected copy back. Or lift permission-only restrictions, the "secured" label that blocks printing and copying, from your own documents.

Drop your PDF here to start

to use Unlock PDF (free, no account)

Files stay private: PDFs and images are edited in your browser.

Your password, your document

Unlocking decrypts the document with the password you supply and saves an unprotected copy. It is a tool for your own files, not a cracker.

Lifts restrictions too

Many PDFs are not encrypted but carry owner restrictions that block printing or copying. The unlock tool removes those as well.

Runs in your browser

The password is used locally to decrypt the file on your device. It is never sent anywhere.

One password in, a clean copy out

Decryption happens on your device, and the password goes no further than the tab you typed it in.

Type it once

The password you supply decrypts the document locally, and the copy that comes back carries no protection at all.

Unlock

The password is used locally to decrypt the file.

Password
••••••••••
Cancel Unlock

Both kinds of lock

Real encryption, and the owner restrictions that let a file open but block printing or copying.

Removed
Encryptionwith your password
Print blocklifted
Copy blocklifted
File on diskuntouched

Or set your own rules instead

Unlocking a document you own is often the step before protecting it the way you actually want.

Add password
Password
••••••••••••
Owner password (optional)
••••••••
Allow printing
Allow copying text and images
Allow editing and annotations
Allow filling in forms and signing
Cancel Add password

Unlocking is usually step one

Once the file is open, the rest of the toolbox applies: merge it into a bundle, compress it for email, fill it in or sign it.

Current statement.pdf
annex-a.pdf
Add file

For the documents you own

Banks, employers and administrations love password-protected PDFs. Once a document is safely in your hands, carrying the password forever is friction: unlock it and archive a clean copy.

Permission-locked files are the other classic case, the document opens fine, but printing or copying is blocked. Unlocking lifts those restrictions from your own documents.

Then finish the job

An unlocked PDF is ready for everything else: merge it into a bundle, compress it for email, fill its forms or sign it. Unlocking is usually step one, not the whole job.

Done in three steps

Upload your PDF

Drop the file above, it is read locally in your browser, never uploaded to a server.

Use the tool

The editor opens with the right tool selected. Make your changes in a couple of clicks.

Download the result

Save the finished PDF straight to your device. No account, no watermark, no wait.

Frequently asked questions

No. Unlocking uses the password you provide to decrypt the document. Without the correct password, AES-256 encrypted content stays out of reach.

Yes. Those are owner permissions rather than full encryption, and the unlock tool lifts restrictions like blocked printing or copying.

The unlocked copy replaces the open document in the editor; your original file on disk is untouched until you choose to save over it.