This article will guide you on how to remove password from PDF. Many of us download PDF files online for research purposes or to broaden our knowledge. Some of the PDF files downloaded are laden with a password and we have to go through various websites to unlock them. More often than not, the links are click baits which redirects an internet user to websites that are not in anyway associated with the passwords. This can be very frustrating, to say the least.
We’ll dwell on two ways to eliminate the password problem. The first one is a hack which is embedded in every OS regardless of whichever one you use. The second one is the official method for unlocking PDF files. It is important to note that both methods are of the assumption that a user knows the password already.
How to Remove Password From PDF
Option A: Print to PDF
It might look awkward but the problem of an unknown password can be eliminated by opening the PDF and printing it to a new PDF file. By doing this, the system will create a new version of the PDF file and the new version would not have a password embedded.
This is successful only if the PDF file is not restricted when printing. The good news is many of these PDF files are not restricted so one should have little or no trouble adopting this option.
This can be executed in a few ways. You can grab your PC and open the PDF via Chrome browser. Input the password and click on “Print” via the PDF toolbar while viewing the document.
Next up, click on “Change” and select “Save as PDF”. Then you should choose the “Save” option which would require that you input a name and a location for the new PDF file created. Viola! Your PDF file has been duplicated without a password. Easy peasy.
This method works with the Chrome browser but it can also work with other applications and specific PDF printers. For Mac users, you can achieve this with Preview or any other specific viewer and the inbuilt printing feature.
While viewing the PDF file in preview, input the password. Then click on “File” then “Print to execute printing. Choose the “PDF” button at the bottom of the print screen and click on “Save as PDF”. Input a new name and choose a new location for the duplicated PDF file. The new file shall not be password-protected.
Option 2: Adobe Acrobat Pro
This is also possible using the Adobe Acrobat Pro which is premium PDF file viewer and editor. This application works even if a file has printing restrictions and the above methods cannot be applied on it.
Open the PDF file and input the password to show its contents. Click on the lock icon at the left part of the window and choose “Permission Details”. This can also be done by clicking on “File” then “Properties” to choose the “Security” tab.
Click the “Security Method” box, select “No Security”, and click “OK” to remove the password.
Choose the “File” option then click on “Save” to save changes made. Once this has been done, the password option shall no longer appear on the PDF file.
Still having problems on how to remove password from PDF files? Drop comments below.
