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Forgot my PDF password, how can I open the protected PDF again? Forgetting a PDF password can be a significant inconvenience. It can waste your time and ruin your day. Rummaging through your password file or searching your notebook pages to find where you've written it down can also be incredibly frustrating.
Fortunately, there are a few ways to deal with PDF files whose password you forgot. However, to avoid dealing with PDF password recovery, people often unlock their password-protected PDF files for easier everyday access. Read below to learn about removing PDF passwords and making your life easier.
In this article
Types of PDF Passwords
Different PDF files are locked in different ways. You can view some PDFs without a password, and you can't even open others without one. There are two types of PDF passwords, each locking a different part of the PDF.
Permission Passwords
Permission passwords are also known as owner passwords. If there is a permission password on your PDF document, you can access and open the PDF. However, a permission password will lock actions such as editing, printing, and copying until you input the permission password.
Document Access Passwords
Document access passwords are known as user passwords. Without the user password, you won't have access to the PDF document. Unless you input the document access password, you won't be able to open and view the PDF.
Recover PDF Password
The first thing you should try is to find and recover the forgotten PDF password. Here are a few tricks you can try when you lost your PDF password.
Contact the owner of the PDF
If the PDF is not your own and you received it from someone else, consider reaching out to the owner, who might be able to provide you with the correct password.
Try different password combinations
There might be some common passwords you use for different files and accounts. Try the passwords you are using for other files and accounts. Your PDF password is probably something similar to those passwords that you are familiar with.
Recover forgotten PDF passwords online
LostMyPass.com is an online password recovery service for PDF. Simply upload your password-protected PDFs and the tool will try to crack the PDF password and show it to you. For weak password, you can recover the password for 1 PDF file for free; but if your PDF is protected by a strong password, you'll need to purchase its strong password recovery service.
- Upload your PDF with a forgotten password to LostMyPass.com.
- The tool will attempt to break the password of your PDF file. If successful, it will display the password.
Apply a brute-force attack
There are password recovery tools that support brute-force attack, which can crack the PDF file by trying every combination of characters until it gets the right one.
Remove Your PDF Passwords
If you want to avoid dealing with PDF password recovery, you can unlock your PDF files. That way, they'll be easier to access daily, and you'll no longer have to deal with inputting the password every time you need to open the file.
There are multiple ways to remove passwords from your password-protected PDF files. Some are easier, and anyone can follow them; some require more steps. Below is a list of some of the best ways to remove password protection and unlock your PDF files.
Find a Password Remover
The best way to remove password protection from your PDF files is to find a quality password remover tool. There are many password-removing tools online, but some leave much to be desired, and many don't work. Remember that it's also essential to use tools from reputable brands and sources. Otherwise, you might be putting your computer at risk.
Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor is one of the best password remover tools on the market. The app is light yet very versatile and powerful. It makes removing passwords straightforward.
The following steps describe using PDFelement on a Windows machine, but the process is similar for all operating systems and devices. To remove the PDF password using PDFelement, follow these steps:
Step 1 Download the PDFelement installation file from Wondershare's website.
Step 2 Open the installation file and hit the Install button. It will do all the work for you.
Step 3 Start the PDFelement app by clicking Start now. Open the password-protected PDF file by clicking the Open PDF button and inputting the password.
Step 4 Go to Files> Properties > Security, and set it to No permissions in the Permissions.
Step 5 You'll see a prompt. Press OK and then hit Apply.
That's it. Your PDF file no longer has a password, and you can easily access it. It's excellent for files you need daily, and removing the password is a piece of cake.
Besides helping you remove password protection easily and deal with a PDF file whose password you forgot, the tool has many more valuable features. It's ideal for everyday use and perfect as a PDF editor.
On top of removing your PDF files' password protection, PDFelement is an excellent PDF editor app. It has various features such as creating, reading, editing, converting, organizing, annotating, forming, and protecting your PDF files. It makes PDFelement a powerful tool and the best all-around application for all your PDF needs.
PDFelement is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android and effortlessly runs on any device and system. The design is simple yet effective. The app is very light and incredibly easy to use. Even beginners won't have any problems using its many features. It's why so many people use it in marketing, finance, engineering, HR, etc. Many students and teachers love it.
Open PDF without Passwords
Using Google Drive
After uploading a password-protected PDF file to Google Drive, you'll be able to access it through Google Docs after inputting the password. You can then make all the changes and edit your PDF however you want. When you finish editing, save the changes and download the PDF file locally.
Your PDF file should no longer be password-protected. However, it will only work after you input the password, which you can remove. Keep in mind that Google Drive doesn't have the feature of cracking passwords or opening password-protected PDF files without a password.
Renaming the File
Most of the time, password protection is applied to the file itself and has nothing to do with its name. However, sometimes when there is a permission password, and depending on how the password is applied, you can remove the password protection by simply renaming the PDF file.
On a Windows machine, find the locked PDF file. Right-click the file, hit the Rename button, give it a new name, and press Enter on your keyboard. It won't work in all cases, but you can try it. It can save you from the hassle of dealing with ways that require many more steps.
Using Wordpad
Wordpad is one of the best tools for editing permission-protected PDF files. You can't access the editing feature when a PDF is password-protected with a permission password. However, if you create a copy of the permission-locked PDF file, you should be able to edit the document with Wordpad on a Windows machine.
Using Google Chrome
By opening a permission-password encrypted PDF with Google Chrome, you'll be able to save it without password protection. After loading the document, enter your PDF's permission password. Then press Ctrl + P on your keyboard. The printing menu should open up, and you'll see a prompt about the destination.
Under the Destination button, you should find the Save as PDF button. Click it, and then hit the Save button to save your PDF locally. The newly saved PDF file should no longer require a password when opening it, and you'll gain access. You can close the printing menu and don't have to print anything.
Save It as a New File
You can try this option when your PDF has a permission password and doesn't allow you to edit it. Instead of using a standard PDF reader, open the file using Microsoft Word or other similar applications in the so-called Read Only mode. Go into the menu and save the PDF as a new file with a new name. You'll create a PDF that no longer has a permission password and can now edit it.
There are many different ways to remove a PDF file's password. Yet, none of them work in all cases except for password-removing tools. One such tool is PDFelement, an excellent choice not just for eliminating passwords but for all things PDF.
Conclusion
A forgotten PDF password can be incredibly frustrating. Dealing with it can be highly time-consuming and ruin your day. Fortunately, there are ways to unlock your password-protected PDF files. When guessing the password, renaming the file, saving it as a new one, or using Google's various services doesn't work, you can try a password remover.
One of the best password-removing applications on the market is PDFelement. Not only can it easily remove your passwords, but it's also an excellent PDF editor. Its many features make it a perfect default PDF application for all your PDF needs.