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PPDF123

Remove a PDF Password

Remove Password decrypts a password-protected PDF when you enter the password that opens it, and returns an unprotected copy. It does not guess, crack or recover forgotten passwords.

Drag and drop files here, or click to choose

Accepts PDF · up to 500.0 MB per file · up to 20 files at once

You can also paste a file with Ctrl/Cmd+V, or from the clipboard menu.

Unlock decrypts a passworded PDF with qpdf `--decrypt` when you supply the password that actually opens it. Use it on your own export, or on a file a client gave you with the password. It does not brute-force, recover, or guess lost secrets.

If the file bytes contain no `/Encrypt` token, the same bytes are returned. Some PDFs restrict printing in a viewer without being encrypted; those files already open, and Unlock will not invent a decryption.

A wrong password fails closed with an error. There is no partial file. After a successful decrypt, Merge, OCR, and Convert see an ordinary PDF. The unlocked copy is easier to read if it leaks; store it accordingly.

The portal sends one `password` field. qpdf uses it as the decrypt secret. Owner-password permission flags and user-password open locks are different PDF modes; send the password that matches how the file was encrypted.

Unlock is not certificate signature removal. Use the Remove Certificate Signature page to strip signature fields from a PDF; Unlock only removes password encryption.

Only decrypt files you are allowed to open. The yellow notice on this page is the boundary. API clients should pass the password once per request and must not log it.

If policy forbids sending plaintext-after-decrypt through a hosted service, self-host. After unlock, Protect can put a new password on if the file still has to travel encrypted.

Features

  • qpdf `--decrypt` with the password you provide
  • Unencrypted files are returned unchanged
  • Does not crack or recover unknown passwords
  • Anonymous API at /api/v1/security/remove-password

When to use this tool

  • Open your own passworded export for editing
  • Prepare an authorized shared file for Merge
  • Decrypt a known-password file before OCR

How do I remove the password from a PDF?

  1. Confirm you are authorized to remove encryption from this file.
  2. Upload the PDF and enter the password that opens it.
  3. Click Process. On success, download the decrypted PDF.
  4. Store the unlocked file carefully; it is no longer password-gated.

Limits and edge cases

  • Cannot crack passwords
  • Wrong password fails closed
  • Schemes that are not qpdf-decryptable are out of scope
  • Upload limit on this website: 500 MB per file, sent in chunks above about 95 MB. A single direct API request body is capped at 100 MB.

Examples

  • The correct user password yields an open PDF you can copy text from
  • A wrong password returns an error instead of a partial file

Privacy for this tool

Files are uploaded over HTTPS, processed in memory or a short-lived temporary directory on our servers, and deleted when your result is ready. We do not keep copies for later browsing, training, or advertising profiles. See the Privacy Policy for retention details and AdSense cookie disclosures.

Frequently asked questions

I forgot the password. Can you recover it?
No. Unlock only works with the password you already know.
Why did the file come back unchanged?
If the bytes have no /Encrypt token, there is nothing to decrypt. The tool returns the original file.
Is this the same as removing a digital signature?
No. Signatures use certificates. Unlock only removes password encryption.
Will metadata be wiped?
No. Unlock decrypts. Use Sanitize or Update Metadata for other cleanup.

Last updated:

Call this from code

Every tool on this site is a plain REST endpoint - no account or API key needed for anonymous use. Built for AI agents and developers as much as for browsers.

curl -X POST "https://pdf123.xyz/api/v1/security/remove-password" \
  -F "[email protected]" \
  -F "password=your-password" \
  -o output.pdf

Also available as an MCP tool for agent clients that speak Model Context Protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0 over POST /mcp). Full API reference

Use it from an AI agent

Skill

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other AI agents can run Remove Password for you with this skill: /skills/pdf123-unlock.md

All agent skills

Files are used only for this processing job and deleted automatically afterward.