Unlock a PDF and remove restrictions

What does unlocking a PDF do?

Many PDFs open without a password but carry an owner password that blocks printing, copying text or editing. Unlocking saves a new copy of the file without those restrictions.

Why unlock a PDF?

So you can print a document you are allowed to read, copy a quote or edit a form that was locked for no good reason. It removes the restrictions, not anyone's rights to the content.

How to unlock a PDF

Drop the restricted PDF above and press Convert. pdf-lib loads it in your browser and saves a new copy without the encryption dictionary, which drops the permission flags that block printing, copying and editing. Download the file ending in -unlocked.pdf. The pages, text and images are copied as they are, so nothing else changes and the document is never uploaded.

Owner password or open password?

PDFs can have two kinds of password. An open password, also called a user password, is needed to view the file at all. An owner password, also called a permissions password, only limits what you can do once it is open. This tool removes owner-password restrictions. Files with an open password stay encrypted and can't be read without that password.

Before you start

Input: PDF. Output: PDF. The settings appear before anything runs, so you can check them first. Your original file is never changed.

These formats often follow rules set by one app or device. Test the result where it will be used, and keep the source in case you need to export it again.

Keep the original until you have opened and checked the result. The work happens in this browser tab, so the size you can handle depends on your device's memory, your browser and the file itself.

How to unlock a PDF and remove restrictions

1. Drop a restricted .pdf into the zone above.
2. Press Convert. The file is rewritten on your device.
3. Download the unlocked PDF.
4. Print, copy or edit it as you need.