How to Remove Password from PDF?

Highlights

• PDFs are commonly shared documents used for official and unofficial documents.
• These files are often password protected to ensure that only certain people can view sensitive information, to prevent a document from being copied, to keep it from being printed without permission, or to keep information safe from hacking.
• There are times when passwords need to be removed from PDF files.
• In this article, we are sharing a step-by-step guide on how to remove passwords from PDFs.

PDFs are one of the most commonly shared documents around the world.

These files are used for both personal and professional work and often contain sensitive information that needs to be protected from unwarranted third parties.

This is where password protection plays an instrumental role in ensuring the security of documents.

PDF password often works as the first wall of protection that the creator can use for documents with sensitive information.

Documents containing private information or personal details must be secured with passwords.

When PDF files are password-protected, the file cannot be opened, edited, and printed without the proper authorization.

There are various reasons why certain PDF files would be password protected.

It could be to ensure that only certain people can view sensitive information, to prevent a document from being copied, to keep it from being printed without permission, or to keep information safe from hacking.

However, these passwords can be later removed once the confidential exchange is over.

In this article, we are sharing a step-by-step guide on how to remove passwords from PDFs.

Why Remove PDF Passwords?

Many people are often apprehensive about removing passwords from a protected PDF file and wonder whether it will be unethical.

In simple terms, removing passwords from a protected PDF can pose security threats but only in case, you share the unprotected file with someone else.

Most of the time, the reason to remove PDF passwords is most for ease of usage.

Sometimes people remove passwords because they do not believe the information in the PDF is sensitive anymore and they do not want to cut that one step of putting a password in every time they open the document.

Here are some of the common reasons why remove PDF passwords –

• The document no longer needs a password for that information.
• The document is already public
• Information is no longer considered sensitive or private.
• It is not shared with anyone

How To Remove Password from PDF using Adobe Acrobat DC? (Needs Subscription)

If you have a paid subscription to Adobe Acrobat DC, you can easily use its “Remove Security” feature, exclusively available for paid subscribers, to remove passwords from PDFs.

In case you do not have a paid subscription, you can get registered for the subscription trial and use the trial version of the software to remove the password.

Here’s the step-by-step process of how to remove a password using Adobe Acrobat DC –

• Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro on Windows or Mac.

• Choose Tools › Encrypt › Remove Security.

• If the document has a Document Open password, click OK to remove it.

• If the document has a permissions password, type the correct password in the Enter Password box and then click OK.

• Once done, you’ll have an unlocked PDF.

Users must ensure to save the document so others can access it as well.

How to Remove Password from PDF Using Android Phone?

Although most people use PDF documents on a computer or laptop, sometimes our smartphones are all we have got in an emergency.

In such situations, follow the below-mentioned steps to remove the password from PDF using an Android Phone –

• Download and install PDF Utilities from Google Play.

• Make sure that you’ve already downloaded the PDF file from which you want to remove the password.
• Open the PDF Utilities app and tap Select next to Select PDF.

• Once you’ve located your file, select it and tap Start. You’ll get a pop-up asking you to enter the PDF password. Enter it and tap OK.
• That’s it, just go back to the same destination where the original PDF file is saved to access the new PDF file without password protection.

How to Remove Password from PDF Using iPhone?

In order to remove passwords from PDF on iPhone or any iOS device, users require third-party apps such as the popular PDF Expert.

This is a free-to-download app available on App Store. However, the feature to remove passwords is part of a paid subscription plan.

A quick workaround for this paid subscription is to get your hands on the free trial for one week.

Users can use the free trial to remove passwords from their desired PDFs within a week and can cancel the subscription later.

• Download and install PDF Expert on your iPhone or iOS device.

• Go to the main menu and open the Files folder to locate the PDF file you want to remove the password from.
• Tap on the file to open it.
• Enter the password to unlock the document.
• Tap on the three-dots icon present in the top-right corner.

• Select “Change Password” option and tap on “Remove Password.”
• Once done, this will disable the password-protection on the PDF file. When you open the file the next time, you won’t require to enter the password.

Those users who had the PDF Expert before it migrated to subscription model, the “Remove Password” feature will be available for free.

How to Remove Password from PDF via Google Chrome?

If you have a computer with Google Chrome browser installed, this is surely the easiest way one can remove a password from PDF. Here’s the simple step-by-step guide on how to use a Google Chrome to remove password from PDF –

• Open your PDF file on Google Chrome. This is can be done from Gmail, Drive or any other third-party non-Google service such as Dropbox or OneDrive.

• Enter the password to open the file for the first time.
• Once the document is unlocked, give the print command on your computer. (For Mac – Command + P; Windows users – Ctrl + P). Alternatively, users can also manual go to the Print option from the top-right corner of the document.

• Once the dialog box for Print opnes, set the Destination as “Save as PDF” and select the “Save” option.

• Once done, the PDF will be locally saved on your computer, and you’ll now be able to access it without entering the password.

FAQs on How to Remove Password from PDF?

Q 1. What are the password requirements for PDF?

Answer. Your password must be at least six characters long. For each keystroke, the password strength meter evaluates your password and indicates the password strength. Select an Acrobat version from the Compatibility drop-down menu. Choose a version equal to or lower than the recipients’ version of Acrobat or Reader.

Q2. Is it possible to break PDF password?

Answer. Most PDFs can be unlocked! Files with an owner password can be unlocked instantly. However, if the file is thoroughly encrypted, you can only unlock the file by providing the correct password. There are many third-party applications and softwares available online that promises to break password from a protected file by uploading the document on their servers.

Q3. How can I edit a password protected PDF?

Answer. In case you forgot the document or permissions password, here’s how you can edit a password protected PDF > Open the PDF in Acrobat and Go to File > Print or click the Printer icon in the toolbar. In the Print dialog box, choose Adobe PDF as the printer and click Print. Type a name for your file and click Save. The PDF is created, and it opens in Acrobat. You can now edit the PDF.

Q4. Can a PDF be hacked?

Answer. Yes, they can. Because PDFs are one of the most universally used file types, hackers and bad actors can find ways to use these normally harmless files — just like dot-com files, JPGs, Gmail, and Bitcoin — to create security threats via malicious code.

Q5. How do I know if a PDF is safe to open?

Answer. How to Check PDF Virus? If you ever receive any PDF from any untrusted sources, it is recommended to scan the file before opening it. Email providers like Gmail have inbuilt malware scanner for file attachments. They implement the technology of VirusTotal so you can be assured.

Q6. How do I know if a PDF is encrypted?

Answer. To detect PDF Encryption, go to the end of the file and search upwards for the first line containing just the word ‘trailer’, then search downwards again for the string ‘/Encrypt’. If it’s there, the file is encrypted, otherwise not.

Also Read: How to Fix Video Lag in VLC Media Player on Windows?

Also Read: How to Download Aadhaar, PAN card on Your WhatsApp

Also Read: How to Block & Unblock Numbers On Your Android & IPhone