What Unlock PDF does
Unlock PDF passes the supplied current password to Ghostscript, opens the verified encrypted document, and writes a new unencrypted PDF 1.7 copy. A correct password and a supported PDF structure are required.
The operation rewrites the document, so it is more than removing a label or toggling a reader setting. Advanced features and signatures can change, and the output should be checked before replacing any source file.
How to use Unlock PDF
- Select one password-protected PDF up to 25 MB that you are authorized to unlock.
- Enter the existing password using 1–48 printable ASCII characters.
- Remove protection, download the unencrypted copy, and open it without a password to verify the result.
Important details
The current password is mandatory
This is not a recovery service. Ghostscript must successfully open the source with the value you provide; a wrong password or unsupported encryption returns an error.
Unencrypted output needs careful handling
Once protection is removed, anyone who obtains the new file may be able to open it. Store, transmit, and delete that copy according to the document's sensitivity.
Practical uses
- Remove a known opening password before importing an authorized document into another system.
- Create an accessible working copy while retaining the protected original.
- Prepare an owned PDF for a local merge or page operation that rejects encryption.
Privacy and limitations
The PDF and supplied password are sent to PagesTools for the active Ghostscript request only. Temporary input and output files are deleted after completion, failure, or cancellation, and the password is not retained by the tool.
The tool requires the existing password and authorization; it does not crack or bypass protection. Input is capped at 25 MB, output at 50 MB, and processing at 55 seconds. Unsupported encryption, active content, damage, or advanced PDF structures can prevent conversion.