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Unlock a password-protected PDF

Enter the password once and get an ordinary PDF back — ready to print, merge, split or edit. In the dashboard or through the API.

Unlock a PDF API reference

From locked file to working document

An ordinary PDF again

The unlocked copy has no password and no restrictions. It opens anywhere and can be printed, copied and edited.

With the password, always

Unlocking needs the password of the PDF. PodPDF removes protection for the person who holds it; it does not break or guess passwords.

Ready for the other tools

Merge, split and the editor refuse protected files. Unlock first, and the same file goes straight into them.

Old and new protection

From the 40-bit protection of an old scanner or accounting package to AES-256, it is unlocked the same way.

Large statements and scans

Unlock files up to 150 MB and 5000 pages, in seconds and with no queue.

Same feature in the API

Call POST /pdf/unlock from your own code, for the bank statements and supplier invoices that arrive locked.

How it works

Add the protected PDF

It is recognised as password-protected as soon as you add it.

Enter its password

The password to open it, or its owner password.

Download

Take the unlocked copy, or carry on to merge, split or edit it.

Unlock PDF questions

Can I unlock a PDF without knowing the password?
No. PodPDF always asks for the password and checks it before it removes anything. If you have lost the password to your own document, ask whoever sent it for an unprotected copy.
My PDF opens without a password but will not print or copy. Which password do I need?
That file is protected with an owner password, sometimes called a permissions password: it opens for anyone, but printing, copying or editing is restricted. Removing those restrictions takes the owner password. The password to open would not help, because there is none.
Which password works for a PDF that needs one to open?
Either the password to open or the owner password. Whichever you have, the result is the same: a copy with no password and no restrictions.
Is the password kept anywhere?
No. It is used to open the file and then forgotten. It is never stored, logged or shown on the job. A wrong password costs nothing.
Why do merge, split and the editor refuse my PDF?
Because it is encrypted. Many PDFs are, even though they open without a password: bank statements and exports from document systems often are. Their pages cannot be copied without decrypting them first, so those tools refuse the file rather than produce blank pages. Unlock it here, then use the unlocked copy.
Does unlocking change the document?
Pages, text, form fields and bookmarks stay as they were. A digital signature on the document will no longer validate, because the file has been rewritten, and you are told when that applies.
How large can the PDF be?
Up to 150 MB and 5000 pages in the dashboard. Through the API, files up to 4 MB go in the request itself and larger ones are uploaded first.
What kinds of protection cannot be unlocked?
PDFs protected with a digital certificate rather than a password. Those can only be opened with the certificate they were encrypted for.

Need the opposite?

Add a password to a PDF, or stop it being printed, copied or edited.

Protect PDF Create an account