Unlock PDF Online
Create an unlocked copy of a PDF when you know its password and are authorized to remove its protection.
Drop your PDF here
or choose a file
A photograph of a file you could already open
Unlock PDF passes your password to pdfjsLib.getDocument. On success it renders every page at scale 1.5, JPEG 0.92, and writes an unprotected PDF with jsPDF. The download name adds -unlocked. Wrong password, damaged file, or an unsupported encryption handler stops the run. A newline copied from a password manager counts as part of the string. Paste into a plain field and look at the length.
Nothing is uploaded. The password is not logged by this page. HTTPS protects the site you loaded. There is no stored ciphertext on PDFSwift’s side because the bytes never arrived. A 200-page locked scan is a long canvas loop and can die mid-way. You do not get a partial download you should trust. The script only saves after the loop finishes.
| Goal | This unlock |
|---|---|
| Open later without typing the password | Yes |
| Merge into a tool that rejects encryption | Yes, as images |
| Copy live text | No |
| Recover a forgotten password | No |
Boring reasons to remove a latch
A merge that refused an invoice
Accounts had the password in a shared inbox. Unlock a working copy, merge with the PO, and say in the email that the invoice pages will not highlight. Delete the standalone unlocked invoice off the desktop.
A one-clause quote
If all you need is a paragraph, copy it from a desktop reader that decrypts in place. That does not create a full unlocked JPEG stack in Downloads. Pick the smaller derivative on purpose.
A file Preview also rejects
The string is wrong or the file is damaged. This page will not be kinder than a reader you trust.
Re-locking after an edit
Each pass is another photograph. Re-export from the authoring file and lock once if you can. By the third JPEG the footer is a rumor.
Confirm the prompt is gone
- Move the locked original into a subfolder so the working directory cannot be confused with it.
- Drop the PDF and type the known password.
- Download. Open the new file. It should not ask again.
- Zoom a fee table and a signature. Scale 1.5 at 0.92 is a light compress with no slider. If the stroke is already faint, keep the locked original as the archive and use this copy only to read.
Unlock a PDF you own is the longer version of the “no cracker” rule.
What the working copy is for
Use the unlocked download to read, or to feed a local tool that rejects encryption. Do not archive it as the contract. The pages are JPEGs at scale 1.5 and quality 0.92, so a later lock or compress is a second photograph. If the only goal was one sentence, copy it from a desktop reader that already opened the original and skip this page.
A password with a trailing newline fails even when the characters look right. Paste into a plain field and compare the length with the manager. The error text is the same as a wrong password, because PDF.js rejected the string.
Frequently asked questions
I forgot the password. Can this recover it?
No. The string you type is passed to PDF.js as the password. A wrong string raises PasswordException and the status says that password did not unlock the PDF. There is no wordlist and no support path that fetches a key.
The file opens, but I cannot copy a sentence. Why?
Unlock repaints each page at scale 1.5 and JPEG 0.92 into a jsPDF with no encryption. You traded the password for pictures. If you need the text layer, open the original in a reader that decrypts for viewing and copy from that window instead.
Is this legal to use on any locked file?
Only on files you are allowed to open. The tool cannot bypass a password you do not know, and using it to get past someone else’s control is not what the page does.
A desktop reader opens it and this page does not.
Some enterprise encryption modes are outside what PDF.js accepts even with the right user password. Save a copy from the reader that already opened it, and stop re-clicking here.
Does the password leave the browser?
No. It is an argument to getDocument in the tab. The Worker is not called. Do not also paste the password into a bug report.
What should I do with the unlocked download?
Treat it as radioactive. Name it -unlocked-working. If you only needed it as a bridge into Merge, merge and delete the bridge the same day. Keep the locked original.