Remove Password from PDF Files

How to Remove Password from a PDF File?

Some of the PDFs are encrypted with a password that you will have to enter if you wish to access the text. If you keep the PDF in a secure location, you can remove the password to save yourself some inconvenience. It is a handy trick that deals with applications you already have in all operating systems, and the official form that includes Adobe Acrobat. Both methods assume that the password for the encrypted PDF file is known. Unfortunately, if you do not know, there is no easy way to delete a password.

Convenient Trick:

This may seem a little foolish, but by opening it and printing it to a new PDF, you can easily and conveniently remove the password from a PDF file. Your program will create a duplicate copy of the File, and you do not have a password for that duplicate. This method will work if there are no restrictions for printing on the PDF. However, many PDF files are only password-protected to provide encryption and can normally be printed once you have given the password.

There are a few ways you can do this. You can do it right from your browser, whether you are using Chrome on Windows, macOS, Linux, or Chrome OS. Open the PDF document and enter the required password. When viewing the password-protected document, click on the "Print" button in the PDF toolbar.

Under Destination press the "Change" button and pick "Save as PDF" Click the "Save" button to provide your new PDF with a name and place. Your new PDF will contain the same content but will not be password-protected as the original PDF.

This Trick will work on any operating system in Chrome, but with other applications and PDF printers, you can perform the same trick. For instance, Windows 10 includes a PDF printer, which means you can do this on Windows in Microsoft Edge or any other PDF viewer.

In Microsoft Edge, for instance, open a secure PDF document and include the password to access it. After you have click on the "Print" button in the PDF viewer toolbar.

Select the Microsoft Print to PDF and click the "Print" button. For your new PDF file, you will be asked to pick a name and location. 

You can do the trick on Windows 10 in any PDF viewer. Simply pick the printer called "Windows Print to PDF." You'll need to install a third-party PDF printer on older versions of Windows before you can do this trick

The method works in other operating systems as well. You can do this on a Mac, for example, with Preview or any other PDF viewer and the built-in PDF printing feature. 

First, in Preview, open the protected folder, and include the password it needs. To open the Print dialog, click File > Print.

At the bottom of the Print dialog, click the "PDF" menu button, and select "Save as PDF." When prompted, enter a file name and location of your new PDF file. The new PDF file will have the same content but no password as the original.

Use Adobe Acrobat Pro: Official Method

With Adobe Acrobat Pro, a paid application, you can do this the official way too. This is a program other than the free Adobe Acrobat Reader PDF viewer, which most people have. Adobe offers a free Acrobat Pro trial that lasts a week. Adobe Acrobat Pro will work even if the PDF has restrictions on printing, and it can not be printed in other applications using the trick above.

Open the Adobe Acrobat Pro PDF file, and include your password for viewing it. Click the lock icon on the window's left side and press "Permission Info." You can also click on File > Property and click on Security. To remove the password, click the "Security Method" tab "No Security," and press OK.

To save the changes, press File > Save. Simply close the Adobe Acrobat Pro DC window as well, and you will be prompted to save your changes. If you have, you delete the password from the original PDF file.