How To Remove Password From PDF Files [Recovery and Reset]

What was life before, when PDFs did not exist? Did we all depend on paper notebooks and good old books for any sharing of textual information? Well, I guess, yes. But in today and age, all the documents exchanged between parties are on the PDF platform. And why would not they be? It is much more secure, comprehensive, understandable, and a dozen more great things.

Sometimes, because of sensitive data, the PDFs requires to have a password on them before opening. There are ample reasons why we are not comfortable with this amount of security on our data files. Two of those reasons are the vital and primary ones:

1. We either forgot the PDF password, or we did not have it from the beginning.

2. Plus, it is so tormenting to keep entering the password every single time to open the file.

Hence I bring you a set of solutions for making your PDF life easier. But before proceeding, one needs to understand a few things:

Difference between ‘User Password’ & ‘Owner Password’

PDF User Password: This one requires to enter to open the locked PDF files. It is used to prevent or stops people from opening and to view the document. It is just a security measure, but the file will not open if it’s not correct. And obviously, it is also called PDF Document Open Password.

PDF Owner Password: It is not concerned about the locking or opening of the PDF file. Instead, it is used to set PDF document restrictions, including editing, commenting, printing, content copying, page extracting, etc. Meaning that if someone wants to make any changes or perform any actions to the document, they will have to enter this password. It’s also known as a PDF permissions password or PDF master password.

Besides, when one is faced with the issue of password protection on their pdfs, there are one of the three things that they should do:

1. Password Recovery

2. Password Removal

3. Password Reset

And if you’re looking for one or more than one amongst them, then keep on reading.

How to Remove Passwords From PDF Files:

1. In Google Chrome

At First, confirm that you’ve installed the latest Google Chrome version on your system before beginning this process.

Step 1: Firstly, open the password-protected PDF file by dragging & dropping it to the Chrome tab. And then tap on the ‘Print’ option on the top right corner. It is the most crucial step in this method.

Step 2: After the print interface pops-up, tap on ‘Change’ and then select ‘Save as PDF.’ This way, you’re saving your exact PDF file without a password on it.

Finally, tap on ‘Save’ on the top, and you will have yourself a new, password-free PDF document with the same content that is saved in your system’s local drive.

2. Using Adobe Reader

Step 1: First & foremost, download the latest Adobe Acrobat Pro (if you do not have it) to begin your PDF journey.

Step 2: Now install and open the password-protected file in this app. Just go to “File,” then “Properties.” Or you can also click on “Permission Details” in the Security Settings. Document Properties interface will then open up.

Step 3: Go to the “Security” tab, then open the “Security Method” drop-down menu. Select and tap on “No Security” from the menu to remove the password.

At last, save this PDF file without password protection.

Some Free PDF Password Removers:

Sometimes you do not want to go through all this trouble (aka the steps above) to remove a mere password. We have the best solution to that.

Presenting to you, PDF password ‘unlockers’ *tada*

They are readily available on the internet and also free. And three of these incredible creations are:

1. PDFCrack

PDFCrack is one of the top free PDF password recovery tools accessible to all. It’s fluent in its working as it recovers both user & owner passwords from the encryptions by using a brute-force recovery method. It is also a command-line tool and works with PDF files up to version 1.6 with 128-bit RC4 encryption.

Moreover, PDFCrack probably not be the best option to bypass permissions security, but it is a solid winning bet to know the actual user or owner password.

2. PDF Password Remover

PDF Password Remover is best-loved amongst all the PDF password removers on the web. It contain a straightforward PDF-in / PDF-out interface. It’s a removal tool for the PDF owner password.

Furthermore, it works with PDF files of version up to 1.7 level 8 with 128-bit RC4 encryption, which means no support to the higher encryption levels.

3. PdfCrypt

PdfCrypt is another best command-line PDF password remover. It will not find an owner or a user password as it is a password remover tool, not a recovery one. You required to specify to input and the output pdf. Afterward, a decrypted file is presented. Besides, it works with PDF files up to version 1.7 level 8 with 128-bit AES encryption.

Although it is not as easy to operate as some other programs, it still has a pretty interactive UI.

Final Words

Using PDF files is crucial or necessary for most, but it is quite frustrating to enter a password you try opening it. And therefore, it is easy to employ the methods mentioned above to use and work with particular PDF files. The free pdf password removers & pdf password unlockers are an excellent addition when saving time and effort.

Dear Visitors, all of these mentioned methods are super easy and straightforward to understand, follow, and implement. So, it would be a cakewalk for anyone to remove the PDF password once they read this article.