Remove password protection from secured PDFs for unrestricted access.
Trusted by 10,000+ users · 2M+files processed · SOC 2 compliant
Unlock PDF files online with PDFPilot4U — remove password protection from PDFs you own, in seconds. The unlock PDF tool decrypts password-protected PDFs when you provide the open password, allowing free editing, printing, copying, and modifying without the password prompt. Perfect for removing password protection from your own contracts after the protection is no longer needed, decrypting PDFs you forgot you had passwords on, or preparing locked PDFs for downstream tools (edit, merge, compress) that require unlocked input. The unlock PDF tool requires you to provide the password — we do not crack or guess passwords (that would be unauthorized access). After unlock, the resulting PDF has no password and can be used freely. Files encrypted in transit with TLS 1.3, processed privately, auto-deleted in 24 hours. Free for 30 unlock operations per day on guests, no watermark.
Drop the encrypted PDF. The unlock PDF tool supports up to 500 MB on Business plans.
Type the open password you set or were given. The unlock PDF tool requires the password — we do not crack unknown passwords.
The unlocked PDF downloads with no password. Edit, print, copy, and modify freely.
Legal teams unlock archived password-protected contracts when the protection is no longer needed for downstream processing.
Users unlock password-protected PDFs before editing, merging, compressing, or running other tools that require unencrypted input.
Users unlock PDFs where they have the password but the prompt is inconvenient, freeing the PDF for permanent use.
How Unlock PDF Online Free on PDFPilot4U compares to the most common alternatives.
| Feature | PDFPilot4U | iLovePDF | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Password required | Yes (we don't crack) | Yes | Yes |
| Owner + user password removal | Both | Both | Both |
| Password storage | Never stored | Not stored | Not stored |
| Free daily limit | 30 operations/day (guest), unlimited on Business | ~3 tasks/hour for free, premium starts $7/mo | 2 documents/day free, premium $9/mo |
| Max file size (free) | 5 MB free, 100 MB Pro, 500 MB Business | ~10 MB free | ~5 MB free |
| AI features included | 12 AI tools (Ask PDF, Summarize, Translate, etc.) | Limited — AI add-on only on premium | AI features locked behind premium tier |
| Privacy / data handling | TLS 1.3 + AES-256, auto-delete in 24h, no model training | Files deleted in 2h, standard SSL | Files deleted in 1h, ISO 27001 |
| No watermark on output | Always — free + paid | Free tier may add watermark | Free tier may add watermark |
No. The unlock PDF tool requires you to provide the password. Cracking unknown passwords would constitute unauthorized access — we do not support that.
User password (open password): required to open the PDF. Owner password: restricts editing, printing, copying. The unlock PDF tool removes both when the correct password is provided.
Yes. Provide either password (user or owner). The unlock PDF tool removes all encryption and password protection from the output.
Yes. Content, formatting, fonts, images, and metadata are preserved exactly. Only the encryption layer is removed.
No. The unlocked PDF has no markers indicating it was unlocked. It looks identical to a never-encrypted PDF.
1-5 seconds for most files. Larger PDFs may take up to 30 seconds.
Yes — 30 unlock operations per day for guests, more on free accounts. No watermark on output.
No. Passwords are used in-memory for decryption and immediately discarded. We never log or store passwords.
Adds password encryption to your PDF to prevent unauthorized access.
Permanently blacks out confidential or sensitive text in your PDF.
Converts multiple image files into a single organized PDF document.
Transforms your PDF into a fully editable Microsoft Word document.
