PDF Password Protector/Remover

Try to remove a password from a PDF you own the rights to open, or add a visible "CONFIDENTIAL" style stamp. Runs 100% in your browser — read the honesty note below before you start.

Please read: the open-source library that powers this tool (PDF-lib) cannot add real password encryption to a PDF, and can only remove passwords from some — not all — password-protected files, depending on the encryption method used. We'd rather be upfront about that than pretend otherwise. See the "Remove Password" and "Add Watermark Instead" options below.

Remove Password

Select a Password-Protected PDF

Password

Add a "Locked" Warning Stamp (Not Real Encryption)

This does not encrypt your file — it simply stamps a bold warning across every page as a visible deterrent. For actual password encryption, use your PDF reader/OS "Protect PDF" feature or a desktop tool built for it.

Select a PDF File

Stamp Text

How to Use This Tool

To unlock a file: select your password-protected PDF, type its password, and click "Attempt to Remove Password."
If successful, a new copy without the password requirement downloads automatically.
If it fails, the PDF likely uses an encryption method this browser-based library can't decrypt — try a desktop PDF app instead.
To visibly mark a file as confidential without real encryption, use the "Add a Locked Warning Stamp" section instead.

Why Use This Tool?

Is my PDF or password uploaded anywhere?

No. Both the password removal attempt and the warning stamp run entirely inside your browser using the PDF-lib library. Neither your file nor the password you type is ever sent to a server.

Why can't this tool add real password protection?

The open-source library used to build this feature (PDF-lib) does not implement PDF encryption. Rather than fake a feature that doesn't actually secure your file, we're telling you directly: for genuine password protection, use your operating system's "Print to PDF" with a password-capable virtual printer, or a desktop application built specifically for PDF encryption.

Why does password removal only work sometimes?

PDFs can be encrypted with different algorithms and permission levels. This tool can open and re-save some PDFs it successfully decrypts with the password you provide, but it cannot break encryption it doesn't have the correct password for, nor every encryption variant that exists.

What's the "warning stamp" feature for?

It's a lightweight, honest alternative — a bold visible notice like "CONFIDENTIAL" stamped across every page to discourage casual sharing, clearly not a substitute for real encryption.