SnapFetch

Home / Convert / Unlock PDF

Unlock PDF

Remove the password from a PDF you can already open, so you don't have to type it every time. You'll need to know the current password - this doesn't crack unknown ones.

  • Free, no watermarks
  • Files deleted after 1 hour
  • Runs in your browser
  • No account needed

Drag a file in, or choose one below.

Why use SnapFetch

  • Produces a copy with no password prompt
  • Honest by design - it needs the password you already know, it does not crack them
  • No account needed, and the file is deleted from our servers after 1 hour

How it works

  1. 1

    Choose or drag in a password-protected PDF

  2. 2

    Enter the PDF's current password

  3. 3

    Click Unlock PDF

  4. 4

    Download the unlocked PDF

When to use Unlock PDF

For a file you can already open but are tired of unlocking - a bank statement that arrives encrypted every month, or a document you need to merge with others. You must supply the current password: this removes protection you can already get past, it does not break encryption. There is no recovery path for a password you do not have.

Specifications & limits

Requires
The document's current password
Cannot do
Crack, guess or bypass an unknown password
Password storage
Never stored or logged; used once during processing and discarded
Accepted input
PDF only (.pdf)
Maximum file size
20 MB per upload
File retention
Deleted from our servers 1 hour after upload

Troubleshooting

The password is rejected

Check for a leading or trailing space from copy-paste, and confirm you are using the open password rather than a permissions password.

You do not know the password

Then the file cannot be unlocked here. Ask whoever created it - there is no bypass.

The upload is rejected before anything happens

The file is over the 20 MB cap. Compress it first, or split a long PDF into smaller files and process them separately.

References

The published specification for the formats involved, and the open-source software that actually performs this conversion.

  • pypdf documentation

    The library used for PDF page operations - splitting, merging, rotation and encryption.

Frequently asked questions

No. This removes protection from a PDF you can already open by supplying its password - it is not a password cracker, and we won't pretend otherwise.

From the blog

Related tools