How to Remove PDF Password Protection on Windows 10?

PDFs are the most common file types that are used to share sensitive information. Some PDFs are encrypted with a password to secure them behind a security layer. However, there are times when we come back later to it only to find that we have forgotten the password. In such scenarios, it is better to have a PDF that does not have such password restrictions.

If you are also facing this inconvenience and want to know how to get around it, then you have stumbled on the right place. Because, in this post, we will give you some tips and tricks which will help you to remove password protection from PDF on Windows 10. The methods shown in this post will work on all operating systems. So, with that said, let us jump straight into the article itself:

Unlock PDF Password on Windows PC

Here are the Couple of Methods to Unlock Password Protected PDF on Windows 10 PC

Use Print to PDF Option

Well, when you make use of the Print to PDF option, your system automatically makes a duplicate copy of the PDF. But this time around, the duplicate copy won’t have password protection as you had with the original PDF file.

However, do note that there is one limitation to this method. This method of using Print to PDF to remove password protection from PDF on Windows 10 works only if the original PDF file does not have any printing restrictions. Luckily, PDF files are normally password-protected and are not print-protected.

Here is how you can make use of the Print to PDF option to remove password protection from a PDF file.

1. Notably, you can use Google Chrome on Windows, macOS, Linux, or Chrome OS for this trick.
2. Open the password-protected PDF on your browser, and enter the password it requires.
   
3. Click the Print button from the toolbar, while you view the password-protected document.
   
4. Now, instead of clicking the Print button, under the Destination section, you need to select “Save as PDF”.
   
5. Next, click on Save.
6. You will be asked to enter the name and location where you would like to save the document.
   
7. That’s it! The new PDF document that you saved will not have password protection.

Here, I have used Google Chrome on a Windows 10 machine. But you will also be able to use Google Chrome on other platforms, as already mentioned. Moreover, you can also use Microsoft Edge and follow the same steps to remove password protection from a PDF.

Use Adobe Acrobat Pro

There is an official way of removing password protection from a PDF. You need to use the Adobe Acrobat Pro software for this process. Do note that this process is not free. Meaning that Adobe Acrobat Pro is a paid software, and in order to use all of its features, you need to purchase the license to use it. However, the good thing is you can download Adobe Acrobat Pro from the official website and use it for free for 7 days.

Here is how you can use the Adobe Acrobat Pro software to remove password protection from a PDF file.

1. Open the PDF file in the Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Enter the password to view it.
3. Now, click File >> Properties.
   
4. Head over to the Security tab. Select “No Security” from the drop-down menu of Security Method. |
   
5. Finally hit the Save file button.
6. That’s it! The password from the PDF file is now removed.

Use a PDF Password Remover Tool

For the unaware, just like we have software or an app for everything, there is software for removing passwords from a PDF file. In our case, we will be making use of the Free Password Remover tool, which you can download from here.

1. Download the Free Password Remover Tool from the link given above.
2. Install the software and open it on your Windows 10 machine.
3. Add the password-protected PDF file to the software.
   
4. Now all you have to do is hit the Start button at the bottom-right corner, and the software will remove the password from your password-protected PDF file.
   
5. That’s it!

There are certain limitations of using free software. For instance, the Free Password Remover tool that we have used in our case just removes the password from the 3 pages of the PDF file. So, if you have one, two, or even three pages worth of PDF, then the free version of this tool is good enough for you. However, for more pages, you need to purchase the full version of the software. But talking about the success ratio, I have removed passwords from all of the PDF files that I have uploaded on this tool.