How to Remove Password Protection from PDF

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Part 1. Remove Security from PDF with PDFelement

The PDF password remover tool - PDFelement has a powerful, yet intuitive interface that makes the process of removing security from PDF simple. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android systems. It provides a password protection feature for you to add passwords to the PDF files that you need to protect. If you don't need the password anymore, you can remove the password from PDF in the following steps. PDFelement can remove both open and editing passwords from PDF.

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• Step 1: Load a Password Protected PDF

  Launch PDFelement, then drag and drop a password-protected PDF file in the program window to open it. If the PDF file is protected with an open password, you'll need to enter the open password before opening it.

  

  Open your password-protected PDF

• Step 2: Remove Password Protection from PDF

  To remove password protection from PDF, go to Protect > Set Password and uncheck Open Password to remove the password from the PDF file.

  If the PDF file is protected with a permission password that prevents printing, copying, and editing, you can deselect "Permission Password" checkboxes to remove password restrictions from your PDF document. After that click the "Save" button.

  

  Remove password protection from PDF

  
  
  

  If you want to edit PDF documents, you can also do this with PDFelement, including the text, image, comments, pages, forms, etc. It is an all-in-one PDF solution that allows you to edit, protect, sign, and organize PDF files. Download it and have a try by clicking the button below.

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Part 2. How to Remove Password from PDF File without Password

In rare instances, you need to remove a password from PDF files because you don't have the password. You can do this using Wondershare PDF Password Remover. It is one of the best methods to remove passwords from PDF files without passwords because it removes protections and restrictions on editing, printing, and copying. Here is the PDF password remover free download.

Read more: How to Unlock PDF without Password

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• Step 1: Import Password-Protected PDF Files

  Import the PDF files, click the Add Files button in the middle of the interface. You can also drag and drop the files to import the encrypted ones.

  

  Import password-protected PDF files

• Step 2: Remove PDF Password

  There are two things to note here: when no lock icon appears on the PDF item bar, the PDF is protected from editing, copying, and printing only. Click the "Start" button to remove these restrictions. On the other hand, if a lock icon appears, then the PDF has an open password, which prevents the file from being opened. You'll need to enter the password first to unlock the PDF file before you click on the "Start" button.

  

  Remove password from PDF

  
  
  This password remover is very simple, but it can be a real lifesaver when you need to open a protected PDF without a password. Download and have a try!

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Part 3. Remove Password from PDF via Dr.Fone DocPassRemover

Apart from the above options, you are suggested to try Dr.Fone DocPassRemover, as it comes with 5 different modes to unlock your documents. The tool supports local decryption and lets you perform unlimited unlocks without damaging the file data. Among the 5 unlocking modes it offers, you can utilize the Combined Decryption if you have a few hints about the password, such as a few characters or its length.

Apart from that, unlocking a document with 128-bit encryption is easier with a known password and the AI-boosted Decryption mode of this tool. The Brute Force mode is especially useful since it tests 680,000 combinations every second to unlock documents. It is not only ideal for removing passwords but also for removing permission limitations on documents.

Simple Guide to Removing Password from a PDF Via Dr.Fone DocPassRemover

Users can comprehensively remove the password protection from their documents using the above-mentioned features of this tool. The steps to use this tool for password removal are very straightforward, as shown in the following section:

• Step 1. Launch the Tool and Import your Protected Documents
  Install Dr.Fone DocPassRemover and launch it to initiate the unlocking procedure. Following that, click the “Select the PDF File” button or drag and drop the protected documents into the tool for decryption.

  

• Step 2. Choose the Suitable Decryption Type
  Moving on, choose the “Decrypt Document Open Password” or any other type and hit the “Next” button.

  

• Step 3. Enter the Permissions Password to Start the Process
  Then, choose relevant password information and pick the "AI-boosted Decryption" method to activate intelligence engines. Finally, type the “Permission Password” in the text box and press the “Start Decrypting” button to unlock the file.

  

Key Benefits

1. Once the documents are uploaded, the tool analyzes and recommends the suitable decryption mode on its own.
2. You can use Dictionary Attack mode for common passwords, as it checks your PDF against a huge built-in list of over 15 million words.
3. Upon unlocking files, users can freely edit their documents or even edit or copy certain information in them.

Part 4. Remove Password Protection from PDF by Printing (Chrome)

If you do not have a program installed to remove passwords from PDF documents, Google Chrome is an excellent alternative to remove password protection from a PDF file. However, this trick won't work if you don't know the password and the file is protected from opening or printing. If you don't know the password, you should download and try Wondershare PDF Password Remover introduced in Part 2.

• Step 1. Open a PDF with Password in Google Chrome

  Make sure you install the latest version of Google Chrome. Then drag and drop the password-protected PDF into the Chrome tab to open it.

  

  Open the password-protected PDF in Google Chrome

• Step 2. Delete Password from PDF

  Use the "Print" option in Chrome to print the password-protected PDF file to a PDF. This is the most important step when you are trying to learn how to remove a password from PDF files without software.

  

  Delete password from PDF in Chrome

• Step 3. Save the PDF without Password

  You can save the PDF file without password protection using the "Save" button, and then you will find this newly saved PDF file in your local drive.

  

  Save the PDF file without password protection

Part 5. Remove Password from PDF using Adobe Reader (with Password)

Adobe Acrobat Pro also supports the ability to remove password protection from Adobe PDFs. Here are the two required steps. Adobe Acrobat also requires you to enter the correct password first before you can remove it.

• Step 1: Open a PDF in Adobe

  Install Adobe Acrobat Pro and open your password-protected PDF file in the program. Go to "File" > "Properties," or you can click "Permission Details" in the left panel.

  

  open and remove password-protection from PDF file in Adobe

• Step 2: Delete Password from PDF

  In the "Security" tab, select "No Security" in the "Security Method" drop-down menu to remove the password. Then you can save the PDF without password protection.

Part 6. How to Remove Password from PDF Online

1. Remove Password Security from PDF Online with HiPDF

HiPDF is an online tool that can help you remove security from PDF online as well. Let's check out the easy steps below:

• Step 1: Upload PDF in HiPDF

  Go to the HiPDF - Online PDF Password Remover page to upload a password-protected PDF file.

  

  Upload a password-protected PDF file online

• Step 2: Enter the Password

  Enter the correct password of your PDF document on the page, and then click the "Unlock" button. After that, it will remove the password from the file.

  

  Open the PDF with password

• Step 3: Download PDF Document

  Finally, you can click the "Download" button to download and save the new PDF file without a password in your local drive, or you can choose to share the PDF document directly.

  

  Remove password protection from PDF online

Part 7. Remove Password from PDF Using Google Docs

For a PDF file with weak encryption, you can also use Google Docs to save the PDF without a password and remove the password protection. Here is a step-by-step guide you can follow:

• Step 1: Upload PDF in Google Drive

  Upload the password-protected PDF to your Google Drive account.

  

  Upload the password-protected PDF to Google Drive

• Step 2: Remove Password from PDF Document

  Right-click the PDF file to choose the "Open With" > "Google Docs" option.

  

  Open the protected PDF with password

• Step 3: Resave PDF Document

  After opening the file in Google Docs, you can click the "File" > "Download" > "PDF document (.PDF)" button to resave it on your computer. Then the newly saved PDF file does not have password protection. However, when the PDF file is opened by Google Docs, the layout of your file may be changed, so the best tool for you to remove password protection from PDF is still PDFelement.

  

  Resave the PDF to remove password protection

Part 8. Remove Password from PDF Using Preview

To remove the password from a PDF on a Mac, you can utilize the Preview application. Preview not only enables you to set a password for a PDF but also facilitates replacing an existing password with a new one.

Follow these steps:

• Double-click on the protected PDF to open it in Preview.
• Enter the password to unlock the PDF.
• Navigate to "File > Export" and select "Permissions."
• Adjust the permission settings as needed and establish a new password.
• Click "Apply" to implement the changes and replace the existing password.

Remove password from PDF using Preview

Part 9. FAQs - Remove PDF Password Protection

1. What is password protection in PDF?

Password protection in PDF is the way to protect a PDF file from opening, viewing, printing or editing by adding password to the file. You can perform PDF password protection with PDF software like Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement. After adding password protection to the PDF file, people can't edit, print, or open your PDF files without the password. Password protection is recommended for file security.

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2. How to password protect PDF?

PDF software like Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement can let you easily add password to protect a PDF file. You can decide the level of protection, such as protecting the PDF file from editing only, printing only, or preventing any unauthorized access to the file. Learn more about how to password protect PDF.

Add password to protect a PDF file

3. How to remove password from a PDF without Adobe

With Adobe Reader, you can also choose to remove passwords from PDF with other useful tools, such as PDFelement, PDF Password Remover, Google Chrome, Google Drive and online services such as HiPDF. Among them, Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement is undoubtedly the best one. Start the free trial first before buying it and you'll like it!

4. How to remove password from PDF without knowing the password.

If you don't know the password, you can't open an encrypted PDF file and thus you can't remove the unknown password from PDF with PDF editors like Wondershare PDFelement, Adobe Acrobat, or online tools like iLovePDF or Smallpdf.

To remove unknown passwords from PDFs, you can try some PDF password remover programs that claim they can remove protections from PDF without a password. However, there is no guarantee that these programs can work.

5. How to remove password from PDF on Mac

To remove a password from a PDF, you can use Preview. Open the PDF file in Preview, input the password to unlock it, and then go to File > Export as PDF. Provide a file name, specify the destination, and click Save to store the PDF without a password. Learn more methods to remove password from PDF on Mac

6. How to remove password from PDF on iPhone

To eliminate a password from a PDF on your iPhone, you'll need a PDF manager app. Install PDFelement on your iPhone, open the app, and import your file. Enter the password to access the PDF. Next, tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner, and choose "Remove Password." Once the password is removed, tap the Save button to store the PDF without a password. Explore the step-by-step guide to remove password from PDF on iPhone.

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