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PDF files are the most widely used files in the business world. Individuals and businesses use them to convey all sorts of information, and sometimes that information is highly confidential and sensitive. It's why PDF files have security options and often require passwords. However, this can be incredibly frustrating, especially when dealing with password-protected files daily.

Fortunately, there are ways of removing security from PDF files. If you need a PDF security remover, stick with us and read below. We'll talk about the security options of PDF files, why they're there, and how to remove security from PDFs.

In this article
  1. What Are the Security Options for PDF Files
    1. Using PDFelement
    2. Using Adobe Acrobat
    3. Using an Online PDF Security Remover
  2. Benefits of Removing Security From PDF

What Are the Security Options for PDF Files

You can add many security features to PDF files, but the most common option for securing your PDF files is by putting a password on it. However, you can put two kinds of passwords on a PDF, which lock different aspects.

One type is called an owner password, also known as a permission password. With this option, you won't have specific permissions, such as editing, printing, or copying the PDF file, without inputting the password first. However, you can still access and view the PDF without the password.

The other type of password is known as a user password. You must input the password first whenever you want to view the file, and you can't even open and view the PDF document without a user password. This way of locking is much more strict and prevents unwanted users from seeing what's inside the document.

How To Remove Security From PDF

To remove security from PDF files, you'd need to use a PDF viewer or editor app that supports adding or removing security settings. Fortunately, many of these tools are online, but some are better than others and offer advanced features that you can use for PDFs daily. Here are some apps you can try:

Using PDFelement

One of the best PDF editing tools on the market is PDFelement. It's an app with excellent features which make it a perfect PDF daily driver app. The app includes various features such as viewing, annotating, editing, and modifying PDF files and removing or adding security settings such as password protection.

Here's how you can easily remove security from PDF files with PDFelement:

  1. Download and install PDFelement on your computer. You can find the installer on Wondershare's website.
  2. Launch PDFelement and click the blue Open PDF button in the bottom left corner.
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  4. Enter the password to unlock the file.
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  6. Click on the File menu (top left corner), then click the Properties button.
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  8. Click the Security tab, then select "No Protection" under the Permissions tab.
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  10. Click OK, then click the Apply button.

As you can see, removing security from PDF files with PDFelement is incredibly straightforward. You'll no longer have to deal with inputting passwords whenever you need to access the document or edit and modify it.

Using Adobe Acrobat

Another tool you can use to remove security from PDF files is Adobe Acrobat. Removing security from PDF files is quick and easy, and below is a guide on how to do it:

  1. Launch Adobe Acrobat and open the file.
  2. Enter the password.
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  4. In the top left corner, select the File menu and then click Properties.
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  6. Select the Security tab (top left corner), then choose "No Security" under the Security Method option.
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  8. When prompted, click OK, then click OK once more to apply changes.
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That's all you need to do when removing security or password from PDF files using the Adobe Acrobat application.

Using an Online PDF Security Remover

Finally, you can also use an online PDF security remover. One of the best online tools you can use is Hipdf. It's a free online PDF tool that can convert, merge, compress, edit, split, and modify your PDF files. You can convert your PDFs to any other document type, such as JPG, Excel, PPT, etc., and vice versa.

Here's how to remove security from PDF files using an online PDF security remover such as Hipdf:

  1. Go to Hipdf's website, scroll down, and select the "Unlock PDF" option.
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  3. Click the Choose File button and upload the password-protected PDF.
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  5. Input the password of the file you want to unlock and click the Unlock button.
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  7. Give it a few seconds. You will have an unlocked PDF.
  8. Click the Download button to save your unlocked PDF file.
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That's it - you've successfully removed security from PDF with Hipdf. It's that easy.

Benefits of Removing Security From PDF

These passwords and other security options can often be incredibly frustrating. It's especially true if you're accessing these password-secured PDFs multiple times daily. These are the benefits of removing PDF file securities:

  • Easy access to files - As already mentioned, if you're accessing a password-secured PDF file daily, you'd want to remove security from the PDF.
  • No need to remember passwords - If you're dealing with multiple password-secured PDFs, keeping track of all your passwords can be tricky since putting the same password for every PDF is unsafe. Therefore, you probably have a password document where you have to write all your passwords.
  • Easy editing and printing - Sometimes PDFs use permission passwords, allowing users to access the file, but restricting basic features such as editing or printing.
  • Easy sharing PDFs - If you're sharing PDFs with colleagues, removing the passwords and security would be much easier than keeping track of who needs what PDF and password.

It's why so many people are looking for apps that can do this.

Conclusion

PDF documents can have annoying security measures to protect their contents. Although these security measures are often justified when dealing with sensitive files, they're usually frustrating, especially if you have to input passwords more than once daily.

Fortunately, there are ways of removing security from PDF files, and you can do so with Adobe Acrobat or third-party apps such as PDFelement, one of the best PDF editors available. Moreover, you can do it using the print option or online PDF security removal tools, such as Hipdf.

Audrey Goodwin
Audrey Goodwin Apr 07, 24
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12 years of talent acquired in the software industry working with large publishers. Public speaker and author of several eBooks on technical writing and editing.