How to Remove Password from PDF Files on Any Device

If you know the password, here is how to remove it from a PDF for good: open the file once with the password, then save a new copy that has no protection. You can do that with the print to PDF trick in Chrome or Preview, or with an online unlock tool. If you do not know the password, no honest tool can remove it for you.

Two kinds of PDF password

A PDF can carry two different passwords, and they behave very differently. Knowing which one you have tells you what you need to remove it.

Many PDFs have both. A bank statement, for example, can ask for your date of birth to open and also block editing. Removing the open password and the restrictions are separate steps in most apps, but one tool can do both at once.

The two are also not equally strong. The open password scrambles the content itself, so without it the pages are unreadable data. The permissions password is more like a polite request: the content is readable, and well behaved apps agree not to print or copy it.

How to remove a password from a PDF online

The Unlock PDF tool on FileKiwi removes the open password and the permission restrictions in one pass. It works in any modern browser on a computer or phone.

1. Open Unlock PDF and add your file. You can add several PDFs at once.
2. If the PDF asks for a password to open, type it in the password field. If it opens fine but blocks printing or copying, leave the field empty.
3. Start the unlock and download the new file, named like statement-unlocked.pdf.

The file is processed on the FileKiwi server with Ghostscript, which writes a fresh PDF without encryption. If you type the wrong password, you get a clear Wrong password message instead of a broken file. If the PDF has no password and no restrictions, the tool tells you so.

Because the PDF is rewritten, fillable form fields may become flat text. Fill in a form before you unlock it if possible.

A copy of each file you add is kept in a private folder on the server for 30 days and then deleted, while the unlocked result is not stored. For very sensitive files, the offline methods below are an alternative.

Remove a PDF password in Chrome or Edge on Windows

Windows 11 has no menu that removes a PDF password, but your browser can make an unprotected copy. This works because printing to a PDF creates a brand new file from what you see on screen.

1. Drag the PDF into a Chrome window, or right click it and choose Open with, then Google Chrome.
2. Type the password when Chrome asks for it.
3. Press Ctrl+P, or click the printer icon in the PDF toolbar.
4. Under Destination, choose Save as PDF.
5. Click Save and pick a name and folder.

Microsoft Edge, the default PDF reader on Windows 11, has a similar Print dialog with a Save as PDF option. If the PDF also blocks printing, the Print option may be greyed out. In that case use the Unlock PDF tool instead.

The print copy keeps text and images, but links, bookmarks and fillable fields are often lost. It is fine for reading and sharing, less so for a form you still need to fill in.

Chrome and Edge on a Mac or Linux computer work the same way, so this method is useful on any desktop where a browser is installed. You do not need administrator rights or extra software, which helps on work and school PCs.

Remove a PDF password on a Mac with Preview

Save an unprotected copy

1. Open the PDF in Preview and enter the password.
2. Choose File, then Print.
3. Click the PDF button at the bottom of the print window, or open the PDF menu next to it, and choose Save as PDF.
4. Choose a name and location. Do not click Security Options, because that is where you would add a new password.
5. Click Save.

The new file opens without a password. Apple describes this print window and its Security Options in its guide to password protecting a PDF in Preview, which also covers the permission settings.

Change a password you set yourself

If you protected the file in Preview and know the owner password, choose File, then Edit Permissions. There you can clear Require Password To Open Document, change which actions need the owner password, and click Apply. Changes take effect the next time the PDF is opened.

Remove a PDF password on iPhone and Android

Phones have fewer built in options. On iPhone with iOS 26, the Preview app can add a lock to a PDF, but it is not built to strip protection from files other people send you. On Android, which app opens your PDFs depends on the phone brand.

The path that works the same everywhere is the browser:

1. Open Safari or Chrome and go to the Unlock PDF tool.
2. Tap to choose the PDF from Files, Downloads or Google Drive.
3. Type the open password if there is one, then download the unlocked copy.

On Android you can also try the print route. If your PDF viewer has a Print option, choose Save as PDF as the printer and save the copy to your phone. Google describes this Save as PDF printer in its help page on printing from Chrome.

Forgot the PDF password? What actually works

FileKiwi cannot crack or guess forgotten passwords, and you should be wary of any site that promises it. Modern PDF encryption cannot be reversed without the password, so tools that claim otherwise try long lists of guesses and often fail on anything but short passwords.

These steps solve most real cases:

• Read the email that came with the file. Banks, payroll services and tax offices often explain the password format there, such as a part of your name plus your date of birth.
• Check the format details. Upper or lower case, date order (day first or month first) and leading zeros matter.
• Ask the sender for an unprotected copy or for the password again.
• Download the document again from your online banking or employer portal, where it is sometimes offered without a password.

Only unlock files you own or have the right to edit. Removing protection from someone else's document without permission can break copyright rules or company policy.

How to remove restrictions from a PDF so you can print it

A PDF that opens but will not print, or lets you read but not copy text, has a permissions password. Readers such as Chrome, Preview and Adobe Acrobat Reader honor these settings, so the buttons stay greyed out.

To remove the restrictions, add the file to Unlock PDF and leave the password field empty. The result prints and copies normally. If you later need to send the same file with protection again, see Protect PDF to add a new open password.

Unlocking is also the first step before other edits. A protected file cannot be combined with others until the protection is gone, so unlock first and then merge your PDFs, compress or split them.

Which method to pick

• One file on a computer, password known: print to PDF in Chrome or Preview. It stays offline.
• File blocks printing or copying: Unlock PDF with an empty password field.
• Several files, or on a phone: Unlock PDF in the browser.
• Password forgotten: go back to the sender or the portal that issued the file.

Keep the protected original until you have checked the unlocked copy, and store the unprotected version somewhere safe. Once the password is gone, anyone who gets the file can read it.

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