A PDF file is a storage format created by Adobe Systems that is presented independently of operating systems and whose primary function is to easily read documents using a viewer. Its content can vary, including multimedia, interactive, and graphical formats. Because it is portable and compatible with mobile applications, it is easily accessible to anyone with a file reader.
However, in some cases, these files are locked for security reasons, preventing you from printing, copying, editing, and/or unlocking them for further use or editing. Solving this problem might seem to most people like a task only a computer expert could perform, but the truth is, it’s quite simple.
Therefore, in this article, we’ll teach you various methods to unlock and remove the password lock from PDF documents , as well as apps and tools to make this process easier. By the end of this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about this method of protecting information, so you can do the same with these types of documents in the future.
Steps to remove and unlock password protection from a PDF
There are currently more than one method for locking a PDF file , so it can be quite difficult for users to access the information they contain. One of them is password-protected access and editing. To avoid this from happening to you, below we’ve outlined the main methods for unlocking and removing this protection.
Google Drive
In addition to serving as an online storage service, Google Drive allows users to edit, modify, and open locked files with Google.
- Sign in to your Google account and go to Google Drive to get started.
- Next, click ” New ” and upload your file to Google Drive.
- Right-click on the document and select ” Open with ” and then ” Google Docs ” which will allow you to edit the file , copy its information and print it.
I Love PDF
I Love PDF is an online service that allows you to edit your Portable Document Format files since February 2010. Its goal is to help you save time by managing and unlocking them easily.
- Visit com
- Select the ” Unlock PDF” option or you can also convert it to the format of your choice (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- To finish, select the file you want to unlock and wait for the process to complete.
PDFUnlock!
PDFUnlock! Unlocks password-protected documents of this type stored in Google Drive, Dropbox, or on your computer.
- Enter in your search enginecom/unlock-pdf
- Upload the fileusing your computer or various cloud storage and click unlock.
- Wait for the unlocking process to complete, and that’s it. You’ll now have complete access to the document’s content.
Best tools and apps to unlock a password-protected PDF
In addition to the aforementioned methods, there are several tools and applications specifically designed to unlock files in this popular format . The list of these is extensive, and many of them are cross-platform, meaning they can be used on multiple operating systems without restrictions.
For Windows
Windows is possibly the operating system where you will find the most software capable of unlocking PDFs .
Below we present the best options from the many you have to choose from:
- Free PDF Password Remover: This is a free tool available for Windows that removes restrictions from PDFs and removes passwords and restrictions on printing, editing, copying, filling out forms, and more. It can even remove document protection and passwords from known owners and users.
- Aimer Soft PDF Password Remover Online:This is a low-cost and easy-to-use program that allows you to unlock multiple documents at once, whether as the owner or user. You can unprotect them with just one click , and it’s specifically designed for Windows XP or higher. Files can be viewed in a viewer without any limitations, and you can choose between a free trial version or purchase a permanent license.
- PDFKey Pro:This program, available for free or with a low-cost license, is based on the phrase “lost passwords, not lost productivity.” It allows you to unlock PDF documents in simple steps, recover lost passwords by making a copy of the file, or even lock them by setting a new one. It is available in seven different languages : English, Italian, French, Russian, German, Polish, and Dutch. It is designed for the Windows XP operating system or higher.
- PDFelement:PDFelement is a software designed by Wondershare for Windows and Mac, which also has mobile apps for Android and iOS. It is considered by many to be the leading alternative to Adobe Acrobat (the default reader for PDF files). With it, you can do much more than remove passwords from encrypted document owners so you can print and edit them as you wish.
- In addition, it allows you to modify the font and file size, as well as convert documents to another format, create new files, and automatically check for spelling errors using a spelling error detector. Not to mention its ability to sign documents and add comments or annotations to each paragraph. This program has a trial version and a one-time license that includes free and immediate customer service and a 30-day product warranty .
- A-PDF Password Securityis a desktop software program designed to encrypt PDF documents and remove owner passwords . One of its best features is its excellent user interface, where you can change formats and restrictions at a low cost, and you can also try out the trial version. Available for Windows XP or higher versions of the Microsoft operating system.
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Android Apps
On this platform, you’ll also find various alternatives for easily unlocking portable documents . However, it’s worth noting that these aren’t as powerful as desktop software, so their features are considerably more limited.
PDF Tools – Merge, Rotate, Split & PDF Utilities : This software created for the Android operating system, available on Google Play, allows you to apply different changes to a PDF file, such as unlocking its encryption, merging multiple files into one, converting images to portable documents, deleting, extracting and reorganizing pages, adding a watermark, headers, footers and even adding numbering, changing the font, color, function and encrypting files. It is by far one of the most powerful applications on Android when it comes to manipulating this format.
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PDF Tools: Merge & Split PDF
Developer: Algorithm Artisan
Price: Free
PDF Reader
: This app is a complete portable document editor that not only lets you lock or unlock documents, but also edit various aspects of their content. It’s interactive, so you can add forms and images, and convert any other format.
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PDF Reader – Word Viewer & Epub, Ebook reader
Developer: PFR Inc – PDF Reader, Document viewer
Price: Free
PDF Utilities
: This German application was developed specifically to remove passwords from this type of document. You can also use it to delete pages and edit other aspects of the document’s content. Although its functionality is much more limited than other tools, it can still be considered a good alternative if you want to remove passwords from your file.
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PDF Utilities
Developer: MDev Germany
Price: Free
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iOS/iPhone Apps
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iOS is another platform with a wealth of tools for removing passwords and other forms of locking on portable documents. In fact, Apple itself has developed some of them to ensure maximum compatibility with its operating system .
PDF Password – Protect PDFs and Remove Passwords : This paid app is available on the App Store and is compatible with iOS 8.0 or higher. Its main function is to remove passwords from protected documents. It also offers the option of accessing a PDF reader from various apps such as Safari, Dropbox, Google Drive, and many others.
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PDF Password
Developer: Denk Alexandru
Price: €2.99
Power PDF – PDF Manager: This is a completely free and useful tool for any user who needs to lock and secure documents on their Apple device. It also allows you to edit files from your mobile device, add annotations to the viewer, and convert documents (JPEG, DOC, PPT, HTML, TXT, RTF) to this format. This app is specifically designed for devices compatible with the iOS 10.0 operating system.
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Power PDF – PDF Manager
Developer: ComcSoft Corporation
Price: Free +
What is the best way to protect and lock information in a PDF file?
There are several free ways to password-protect a PDF file , and it’s very easy to do no matter how you do it. There are programs you can download to encrypt the document, or some online services that work in a web browser.
Without a doubt, the best way to protect a document of this type is with a paid app, as these use much more complex encryption methods , making your passwords more difficult to crack. Below, we present the best options available for this task.
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat can encrypt your documents with a password and also function as a reader. If you don’t have it installed and prefer not to pay just to protect these files, feel free to get the free 7-day version. This editor was created by the very inventors of the Portable Document Format , so there’s no doubt it’s the best software possible for editing them.
With Acrobat, you can also edit a PDF and make virtually any change to the document; from editing, copying, or adding more text to adding multimedia elements or interactive forms that make your PDFs much more dynamic.
Microsoft Word
Although it might not be the first thing that comes to mind, the truth is that Microsoft Word can add a password to this type of document . You can also modify some aspects of the document, including editing the text and adding images.
It’s certainly not the most elegant option, but since it’s practically free, it can be a great help for someone who simply needs to protect their .
PDF-Suite.com
A simple-to-use tool with few features that perfectly fulfills the mission of locking and protecting information in portable documents . You can also edit some aspects and add images and hyperlinks to the content.
