How to Remove PDF Password When You Forgot It

You've been there. You saved a PDF months ago with a password, wrote it down somewhere (or thought you did), and now you need to open it and—nothing. The password isn't working. Or maybe you received a protected PDF from someone who forgot to tell you the password.

Whatever happened, you're stuck. The good news is there are ways to get past password protection on PDFs. Not all of them are pretty, and some have limits, but they exist. Let me walk you through what's actually possible in 2026.

What Kind of PDF Password Are You Dealing With?

Before we get into the methods, it helps to know what you're up against. PDFs can have two different types of password protection, and the type matters for what you can do.

User Password (Open Password)

This is the password you need just to open the file. The entire PDF is encrypted, and without the password, you can't see anything—not even that it's a PDF. This is stronger protection.

Owner Password (Permissions Password)

This one lets you open the file just fine, but blocks certain actions like editing, copying text, or printing. The PDF isn't encrypted—you can see everything—but you can't do anything with it without the password.

If you can open the PDF but can't edit or print it, you're dealing with an owner password, which is easier to work around.

Method 1: Try the Most Common Passwords First

Before we get into technical solutions, let's be honest: most people use the same few passwords over and over. If you've forgotten the password, try these:

• No password at all (just hit Enter)
• "123456" or "password"
• The name of the document or project
• A year (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
• Your name or initials
• The company or client's name

I know it sounds too simple, but honestly, about 30% of "forgotten" PDF passwords are just common passwords or variations. It's worth a shot before you try anything else.

Method 2: Contact the Person Who Created It

If the PDF came from someone else—a colleague, client, or vendor—reach out to them. They might have the original password or be able to send an unprotected version.

This is often the easiest solution, and honestly, most people are happy to help once they know you need the file. Just shoot them a quick message: "Hey, I can't open the PDF you sent—did you set a password on it?"

If it's a work document, they might have the password stored somewhere or be able to regenerate an unlocked copy.

Method 3: Check Your Password Manager

If you use a password manager like Bitwarden, 1Password, or LastPass, check if it saved the password. Many password managers automatically offer to store passwords for protected PDFs.

Also check your browser's saved passwords. If you've opened the PDF before in a browser, Chrome or Edge might have saved the password. Go to Settings → Passwords and search for "pdf" to see if anything comes up.

Method 4: Online PDF Unlock Services

There are websites that claim to remove PDF passwords. The way these usually work is by trying lots of password combinations automatically or using other methods to strip the protection.

Popular options include:

• Smallpdf – Has an "unlock PDF" tool that's free to use once
• iLovePDF – Similar unlock feature
• PDF2Go – Offers password removal
• ILovePDF – Another option in the space

Here's the thing: these services work best with owner passwords (the kind where you can view the file but can't edit it). For user passwords (where the file is encrypted), success is more mixed—they might not be able to crack it.

Privacy warning: You're uploading your PDF to someone else's server. If the document contains sensitive information—financial records, medical data, personal info—think twice about this approach. The file passes through their servers, even if just briefly.

Method 5: Use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge

Here's a clever trick that works for some password-protected PDFs. When you open a PDF in Chrome or Edge and it asks for a password, there's no direct way around it—but there's a workaround using the print function for owner passwords.

1. Open the PDF in Chrome or Edge
2. If it asks for a password, try common passwords first (see Method 1)
3. If you can open it but can't edit/print, press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on Mac)
4. Change the printer to "Save as PDF"
5. Click Save

This creates a new copy of the PDF that often strips the permission restrictions. It's not technically "removing" the password, but it gives you an unprotected version you can use.

This doesn't work for user passwords (encrypted PDFs that won't open), but it's worth trying if you can at least view the document.

Method 6: Command Line Tools (For Owner Passwords)

If you're comfortable with the command line, there are free tools that can remove owner password protection from PDFs. These work on the "permissions" type of password—the one that stops you from editing or printing.

Using qpdf (Mac, Linux, Windows)

QPDF is a powerful, free tool for PDF manipulation. It can strip password protection from PDFs where you can at least view the content.

On Mac, install it with Homebrew:

brew install qpdf

Then run:

qpdf --decrypt --password=YOUR_PASSWORD input.pdf output.pdf

Replace YOUR_PASSWORD with what you think the password might be. If it works, you'll get an unprotected version in output.pdf.

Using pdftk

PDFtk is another option:

pdftk input.pdf input_pw YOUR_PASSWORD output output.pdf

Method 7: Brute Force Password Recovery Tools

If you've exhausted other options and absolutely need into a user-password-protected PDF, there are specialized tools that can try to crack the password by trying many combinations. These are called "brute force" or "dictionary attack" tools.

PDF Cracker and PDF Password Recovery are commercial tools that do this. They work by:

1. Loading the password-protected PDF
2. Systematically trying password combinations
3. Stopping when they find the right one

The catch? This can take anywhere from hours to years, depending on how complex the password is. If it's a simple password, you might get in within minutes. If it's a strong 12-character password with random characters, you're looking at a very long wait.

These tools aren't free, and they only work on user passwords (encrypted PDFs), not owner passwords. But if you really need in and nothing else has worked, this is an option.

What Doesn't Work

Let me save you some time: some things sound like they should work but don't.

• Renaming the file – Doesn't change the encryption
• Changing the file extension – Still the same PDF internally
• Online "password generators" claiming to find your password – These are scams. There's no database that knows your password.
• PDF viewers that claim to bypass passwords – Most are either malware or don't work on properly encrypted PDFs

Prevention: How to Avoid This in the Future

Once you get back into your PDF (hopefully), here are some tips so you don't end up in this situation again:

• Use a password manager – Save the PDF password alongside other passwords
• Write it down somewhere secure – A physical notebook or a secure digital note
• Don't use passwords you can't remember – If you must use a password, make sure it's stored somewhere you can find
• Consider if you really need password protection – Sometimes email is enough

When All Else Fails

If you've tried everything and still can't get into the PDF, it might be time to consider whether you actually need that version. Can you get the original unprotected file from somewhere? Can you ask the sender for a new copy without the password?

Password protection is designed to be secure. If it were easy to bypass, it wouldn't be much protection. But with a little persistence and the right approach, you can usually find a way in.