What this does
Decrypts the PDF with the password you type and saves a copy that opens without one. Pages, text and pictures are not changed.
What it can’t do
Open a PDF without its password, or lift restrictions set by someone else on a file you do not have the password for. The tool is for your own documents.
A worked example
A phone bill arrives as a PDF protected with the account holder’s date of birth. The password is typed once here, and the unprotected copy is filed with the other bills.
Questions
- Can this remove a password I have forgotten?
- No. It opens the PDF with the password you type, and saves a copy without one. Without the right password nothing can be read, which is the point of encryption.
- Is the password sent anywhere?
- No. Neither the file nor the password leaves your browser. The tool works with the network switched off.
- Why would I remove a password?
- Bank statements, payslips and tickets often arrive protected with a password you are told in a separate message. Once the file is stored somewhere safe, typing the password at every opening is a nuisance.
Your file stays on this device
The tool above runs in a sealed frame that cannot send your file anywhere. It works with airplane mode on, and the counter above it stays at 0. Here is how you can check that yourself.
Related tools
- Password-protect PDF Add a password to a PDF, or remove one you know.
- Encrypt or decrypt a file Lock any file with a passphrase before you send it, or open one you were sent.
- Remove metadata from a PDF Remove the author, software, dates and earlier versions from a PDF.
- Remove metadata Strip location, device and hidden previews from photos and documents.
- Redact PDF Black out names, emails and numbers so they are gone for good.
- Redact image Cover parts of a screenshot or photo with solid boxes.
- Find hidden content Check a PDF or Office file for hidden text, sheets, comments and tracked changes.
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