Experts Techniques to Unlock Password Protected PDF Files

People protect PDF files with passwords and other security restrictions to avoid any type of misuse. But what if they need information from a password-protected PDF file though? If you are looking for how to open password-protected PDF, this article will help you. Here we will learn how to unlock password-protected PDF files using manual solutions.

When it comes to sharing electronic documents online, PDF is the first name that comes to one’s mind. Since the portable document format (PDF) preserves the original layout of a page, you can transfer the PDF documents between different devices, and they will look exactly the same as they should be. The best part of the portable document format is smart protection. PDF files can be protected with various security restrictions, from applying password protection to restrict actions like editing, copying, printing, etc. for viewers. By applying password protection or any other type of security restriction, you can control who can open/use the PDF files and how. This protection feature makes PDF the ideal format to save critical business information and other legal documents.

Sometimes it may happen that you need to open password-protected PDF files. Or you need to edit the PDF file, but editing is restricted due to the permission. What will you do in such a situation? Without entering the correct password or having the required permission, the PDF file is completely unusable. In such a situation, you need to unlock PDF file or remove the security restrictions from it. But the question is, how to open password-protected PDF files. There are two ways to do that: either you can do manually by using a few easy methods or you can use a professional solution like a PDF Restriction Remover tool.

How to Open Password Protected PDF?

The only way to open password-protected PDF files is by entering the correct password. And if you do not have the password, you have to unlock PDF file by removing its password. Sometimes the situation becomes very annoying that you have the correct password and you need to enter it each time you want to open the PDF file. There is a simple trick that can prevent you from entering the password to open the file. You can simply remove the password from PDF file by creating its copy. Now you must be wondering how to create a PDF file copy. It is very simple.

In order to remove the password from PDF file, you need to open the PDF file by entering the password and then you need to print it to a new PDF file. This will create a copy of your PDF file on your computer, and that PDF file will not have any password. Follow the simple steps given below:

1. First, open the PDF file in the Adobe Reader or you can also open it on your web browser. You need to provide the password.
2. Once the PDF file is opened, you need to click the Print button on the PDF toolbar.
3. Instead of printing, you can save the PDF file in the PDF format itself with a new name.
   
   

Note: Make sure the PDF file does not have any print restrictions in order to use the above trick.

How to Unlock Password Protected PDF Files?

There are a couple of manual solutions you can use to remove password from PDF file. Many of you might not be aware of them. Here I am sharing two manual solutions, you can try any of them. You can also consider using a professional solution to unlock password-protected PDF files. But I always recommend trying free solutions before using any 3rd party paid software. Before I can explain the manual methods here, I would like you to understand what “unlock PDF file” means. Many people believe that unlocking a secured PDF file and cracking it is the same thing. But both are different.

Unlocking a PDF file simply means removing password protection from it. If you have the correct password, you can easily open the PDF file and perform certain actions like editing, copying, printing, sharing, etc. But if you do not have the correct password or you have forgotten the password, you cannot open the PDF file until you unlock it. Try the below manual solutions to unlock PDF file without requiring any 3rd party software:

Remove Password from PDF File Using Adobe Acrobat

If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can remove PDF file password with ease. Make sure you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat. A free version cannot help you unlock password-protected PDF files. Follow the steps shown below:

Step 1: First, open Adobe Acrobat Pro. On the taskbar, click File tab > Open.

Step 2: Now open the PDF file from which you want to remove the restrictions. If the PDF file is password-protected, you need to enter the correct password to open it.

Step 3: You will see a lock icon on the left side of the window. Click it. Then click Permission Details.

 

You can also go to the Permission Details window by clicking File > Properties > Security.

Step 4: On the Document Properties dialog box, click the Security tab. Click the dropdown arrow shown next to the Security Method. Select No Security, and then click OK to remove the password from PDF file.

 

Step 5: Now you can save the file by clicking File > Save. You can also save this PDF file by simply closing Adobe Acrobat Pro and you will be asked to save your changes. Click OK and this will save the PDF file and close the Adobe Acrobat program.

 

Note: To remove the password from PDF file using the above method, you must have the correct password.

Unlock PDF File Using Google Drive

There is one more free way to unlock PDF file, by using Google Chrome. Follow the steps given below:

Step 1: First, open Google chrome and then log into your Google Drive account using your Gmail account.

Step 2: Now you need to drag the PDF file into Google Drive. In this way, you can upload the PDF file to Google Drive. Another way to upload the PDF file in Google Drive is by clicking the New button in the top-right corner > File Upload. Then choose your PDF file and click OK to upload it.

Step 3: Double-click the PDF file to open it within Google Chrome. If the PDF file is password-protected, you need to enter the password to open it.

Step 4: After entering the password, the PST file will be opened. Press Ctrl+P for Windows or Command + P for Mac to open the Print window.

Step 5: On the Cloud Print screen, click the Change button under the Destination section. Here you need to select where you want to send your document. Select Save to Google Drive.

Step 6: Now go back to Cloud Print screen and click Save to save the PDF file in My Drive. You can then find the new PDF file in My Drive.

The above manual solutions will only work for you if you have the correct password. If you do not have the password, you cannot unlock PDF files manually. In such a situation, you need to use a professional solution like the PDF Restriction Remover tool.

Professional Solution – PDF Restriction Remover

There are many software vendors in the online marketplace that provide 3rd party solutions to remove password from PDF file without causing any alteration to the original data. The PDF Restriction Remover tool provided by SysInfoTools Software is one of the best solutions, and it is highly recommended by professionals. This software uses an advanced algorithm to unlock password-protected PDF files by removing their passwords. In addition, it can smartly identify all types of security restrictions applied to your PDF files and remove them in a very safe way.

Below are the key features of this PDF Restriction Remover tool:

• You can select single as well as multiple PDF files at a time.
• The Metadata properties and other information of the PDF file will be displayed before you can actually remove the password/security restrictions.
• It can remove both owner and user password from the PDF files.
• All the security restrictions can be safely removed from the PDF files.
• You can change the Metadata and other information of the output PDF file.
• This software supports PDF files created by all the versions of Adobe Acrobat including the latest Acrobat DC.
• It is highly compatible with all Windows-based operating systems.
  
  

Before you can purchase the licensed version of the PDF Restriction Remover tool, you must download its free demo version. By using the demo version, you can successfully remove password protection from PDF file and also you can remove all the security restrictions from it. Due to a limitation in the demo version, the PDF file’s pages will be saved with a watermark. To overcome this limitation, you need to purchase the licensed version of this software.

How to Use PDF Restriction Remover Tool?

It is very easy to use this PDF Restriction Remover tool. The user-interface of this software is highly intuitive that requires no prior technical expertise. Even a novice user can use this software with ease. Download the software and install it on your computer. Once the installation is done, double-click the software icon to open it, and then follow the steps shown below:

Step 1: On the home screen of the PDF Restriction Remover tool, there are two options: either you can select a single file or you can select multiple PDF files at a time. To select a single file, click the Browse button under the Select single PDF file path option. Select the PDF file from which you want to remove the password or security restriction(s), and click Next to continue the process.

 

Step 2: Here you will see the PDF file description that includes the PDF file name, title, subject, author, creator, producer, etc. If everything is fine, click Next to go to the next step.

 

Step 3: Here you need to provide the output PDF file description. You need to define a location where you want to save the new PDF file. Click the Browse button and select a location. Also, you need to enter a new name for this new PDF file. Finally, click the Unprotect PDF button to start the process of password removal/security removal.

Step 4: Within a couple of minutes, the process will be completed successfully. Click OK and close the software application.

 

The new PDF file will be saved at the location you have defined earlier. You can now check the PDF file. It will not require any password, and there will be no security restrictions.

Conclusion

The article has briefly explained how to unlock password-protected PDF files. We have discussed a couple of easy manual solutions to unlock PDF files in this article. Also, we have talked about a professional solution, the PDF Restriction Remover tool, and learned how to use this software to remove password from PDF file and other security restrictions from it.

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