Can you recover a password I have forgotten?

No, and no legitimate tool can. Removing a password requires knowing it; this tool decrypts a file you can already open so you can save an unprotected copy. Breaking encryption you do not have the password for is not something we help with.

How strong is the encryption?

The PDF is encrypted with AES, the standard modern PDF readers support. Its real strength depends on your password: a long passphrase is far harder to guess than a short word, whatever the algorithm.

How should I send the password to the recipient?

Through a different channel from the document itself. Emailing both together defeats the purpose — send the file by email and the password by phone or message.

Is my password sent to your server?

No. Encryption and decryption both happen on your device. Because it runs in your browser, the file never leaves your device. Neither the file nor the password is transmitted.

Protect / Unlock

Encrypt a PDF with a password, or remove a password you know.

Processed locally in your browser — files never leave your device

What Protect / Unlock does

Encryption is worth using whenever a document travels by email — payslips, contracts, anything with personal details. This tool both applies a password and removes one you know, and because it runs locally, your password never crosses the network.

How it works

Protecting a file encrypts its contents with AES — the standard algorithm modern PDF readers support — using a key derived from your password. Anyone opening the file afterwards is asked for that password, and without it the content is unreadable ciphertext rather than merely hidden.

Unlocking is the reverse, and it only works on a file you can already open: you supply the current password, the tool decrypts the document on your device, and saves an unprotected copy. Neither direction sends the file or the password anywhere — the cryptography runs entirely in your browser.

When to use it

Payslips, contracts, medical records or ID scans are about to travel by email.
A document is being stored somewhere shared and should not be readable by everyone with access.
A password you set earlier is no longer needed and is now just friction — remove it from a copy.
A recipient keeps failing to open a protected file and has confirmed they no longer need it protected.

Advantages and limitations

Advantages

AES encryption, the same standard used by desktop PDF software.
Both directions in one tool: add a password, or remove one you know.
Your password never leaves your device — an upload-based protector necessarily sees both your file and your password; this one sees neither.
No account, so there is no third party holding a record that the document was ever protected.
The original file is untouched; you always work on a new copy.

Limitations

A forgotten password cannot be recovered — by us or by any legitimate tool. Removing protection requires knowing the current password.
The protection is only as strong as the password: a short word falls to guessing regardless of the algorithm.
Encryption controls opening the file; it cannot stop a legitimate recipient from screenshotting or retyping what they can see.
Some very old PDF readers do not support modern AES encryption and may fail to open the protected file.

Security and privacy

This tool runs entirely on your own device. The file you choose is read into your browser's memory, processed there by JavaScript, and returned to you as a download — no part of it is transmitted to our servers or anyone else's. When you close or reload the page, the browser discards that memory. We never see your document, cannot log it, and have nothing to delete afterwards. You can verify this yourself: open your browser's developer tools, switch to the Network tab, and process a file — you will see no request carrying your document. That applies to your password too: it is used to derive the encryption key on your device and is never transmitted, stored or logged.

The full detail of how this site handles data is in our Privacy Policy.

Supported files

Input: one PDF file (.pdf) — unprotected if you are adding a password, or protected with a password you know if you are removing one. Output: an encrypted .pdf, or a decrypted copy of the original.

How to use Protect / Unlock, step by step

Upload the PDF you want to protect or unlock.
To protect: enter a strong password — a long passphrase beats a short complex word.
To unlock: enter the document's current password.
Click the action button; encryption or decryption runs on your device.
Download the result, and send any password to its recipient by a different channel than the file.

Frequently asked questions

Can you recover a password I have forgotten?: No, and no legitimate tool can. Removing a password requires knowing it; this tool decrypts a file you can already open so you can save an unprotected copy. Breaking encryption you do not have the password for is not something we help with.
How strong is the encryption?: The PDF is encrypted with AES, the standard modern PDF readers support. Its real strength depends on your password: a long passphrase is far harder to guess than a short word, whatever the algorithm.
How should I send the password to the recipient?: Through a different channel from the document itself. Emailing both together defeats the purpose — send the file by email and the password by phone or message.
Is my password sent to your server?: No. Encryption and decryption both happen on your device. Because it runs in your browser, the file never leaves your device. Neither the file nor the password is transmitted.