How to Remove Password Protection from PDF

Elise Williams

2024-11-19 12:06:26 • Filed to: Unlock PDF • Proven solutions

For file security, it's common for PDF files to be protected by passwords. If PDF files are password-protected, you can prevent them from being opened, edited, and printed without the proper authorization. However, when you don't need the passwords anymore, you can remove password protection from PDF if you've already known the password with a PDF solution like Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement. If you don't know the password, you can use a professional PDF Password Remover to help you with that. Please note that it is illegal to remove the open password without the correct authorization.

In this article, we'll cover six efficient solutions for how to remove password protection from PDF.

Part 1. Remove Password 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. It can remove both open and editing passwords from PDF.

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.

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.

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.

Part 2. Remove Password from PDF Without Knowing the Password

In some cases, you may need to remove a password from a PDF file but don’t have the password. Wondershare PDF Password Remover is an excellent solution for this situation. It effectively removes passwords and restrictions on editing, printing, and copying, allowing you to access your PDF files freely. You can download the PDF Password Remover for free here.

Read more: How to Unlock PDF without Password

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.

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.

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!

Part 3. 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.

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.

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.

Part 4. 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.

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 5. How to Remove Password from PDF Online

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.

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.

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.

Part 6. 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.

Step 2: Remove Password from PDF Document

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

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.

Part 7. Remove Password from PDF Using Preview on Mac

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.

Part 8. 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.

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.

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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Elise Williams

chief Editor

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