Unlock PDF. Remove the password.

Remove password protection from any PDF you have the key for. Decryption runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Drop your protected PDF
or click to browse files from your device
— single PDF · any size
✓ password never uploaded · ✓ runs locally · ✓ free forever
— How it works
Step 1
Add your PDF
Drop the protected PDF. If it requires a password to open, you'll be asked for it.
Step 2
Enter the password
Provide the document password. Without the correct password, the content cannot be decrypted.
Step 3
Download the unlocked file
The password is removed and the PDF is rebuilt in your browser. Download the open version.

What does unlocking a PDF do?

A "locked" PDF is one that has been encrypted with a password. There are two kinds of PDF passwords: a user password (required to open and view the document) and an owner password (required to print, copy, or modify the document). Unlocking removes the encryption so the document can be opened freely without a password prompt.

Foliopress can remove password protection from PDFs where you supply the correct password. If the PDF requires a user password to open, you must know that password — there is no way to bypass PDF encryption without the key. What the tool does is take your authenticated copy and re-save it as a plain PDF with no password requirement attached.

Why would you unlock a PDF?

Common reasons include: a supplier or client sent a password-protected document and you need to archive it without managing passwords, you want to combine a protected PDF with other documents using a merge tool, you need to annotate or fill in a PDF that has been locked against modification, or you simply want to open the file in a viewer that doesn't support password-protected PDFs (such as some embedded viewers or mobile apps).

In all of these cases, you must know the original password. This tool makes the process of removing it straightforward — no installation required, and nothing is uploaded to a server.

What about restriction-only locked PDFs?

Some PDFs are "locked" without an open password — the document opens freely but printing, copying, or editing is restricted. These restrictions are enforced by a separate owner password. Foliopress removes both the open password and the restriction flags when it rebuilds the PDF, resulting in a fully unrestricted document.

Privacy

Your PDF and any password you enter stay entirely within your browser. No network requests are made. The decryption and re-encoding run using pdf-lib in your browser tab. The unlocked file is generated locally and downloaded directly to your disk.

— FAQ
Do I need the password to unlock my PDF?
Yes, if the PDF requires a password to open. There is no way to decrypt a password-protected PDF without the correct key. If you have forgotten the password, this tool cannot help — that would require a brute-force attack, which is not something this tool does.
What if my PDF opens without a password but has printing or editing restrictions?
Foliopress will remove those restrictions when it rebuilds the PDF. Owner-restricted PDFs (which open freely but prevent copying or editing) can be unlocked without needing to enter a password.
Is the password I type sent anywhere?
No. The password is only used locally in your browser to decrypt the PDF. It is never transmitted to any server.
Can I unlock multiple PDFs at once?
This tool handles one PDF at a time. To unlock multiple PDFs, repeat the process for each file.
Does unlocking reduce quality or change the content?
No. Unlocking is a structural operation — it rebuilds the PDF structure without the encryption wrapper. All content (text, images, fonts, annotations) is preserved exactly.
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