Two kinds of PDF locks
A password to open the file
The PDF asks for a password before showing anything. Type that password in Unlock PDF and you get a copy that opens without it, handy for documents you open often, like bank statements or payslips.
Restrictions on printing, copying or editing
The PDF opens normally but won't let you print or copy. These restrictions can be removed without a password: leave the password field empty and click Unlock PDF.
Typical situations
- Bank statements, payslips and tax documents often arrive protected with a password made from your own details, such as your date of birth or a customer number. The email they came with usually explains the format. Unlock the file once and keep the open copy in a safe place.
- A form you can't fill in or print: the author added restrictions. If the file is yours to use, removing them lets you print it, copy text from it or fill it in.
- Converting or merging: many tools, including PDF to Word and Merge PDF, can't read an encrypted file. Unlock it first.
What happens to the file
Unlock PDF saves a new copy without encryption; your original stays as it was. Pages, text, pictures, links and bookmarks are kept. The result tells you what was done: the password removed, or the restrictions removed.
An unlocked copy can be opened by anyone who gets it. Keep it on your own device, and don't email it unprotected.
What Unlock PDF can't do
It never guesses passwords. If you don't know the password to open a file, ask the person who sent it, or the bank or company that issued it. Please only unlock files you have the right to use.
Next steps
- Convert the unlocked file with PDF to Word or PDF to Excel, which need an unlocked PDF.
- Merge several unlocked statements into one file.
- Share it again safely with Protect PDF.