How to Remove a Password from a PDF You Own
built-in tools on macOS, Windows 11, and iPhone · Last checked · Suggest an edit
https://instructions.wiki/pdf/remove-a-password-from-a-pdf
A PDF you own asks for a password every single time it opens, and typing it has worn thin. The password is baked into the file's encryption rather than sitting in a settings panel, so there is no switch to flip; the fix is to open the file with the password and save a fresh copy without encryption. Every step below assumes the document is yours and the password is already known.
Save an unencrypted copy from Preview
On Mac, open the PDF in Preview and type the password. Choose File, Export, leave Format set to PDF, click Permissions, and leave the option to require a password to open the document unticked. Give the file a new name and click Save. The exported copy opens with no prompt.
Print to PDF from Chrome or Edge
On Windows, drag the PDF into a Chrome or Edge window and enter the password. Press Ctrl + P, set Destination to Save as PDF, and click Save. The browser writes out a new file containing the rendered pages with no encryption attached.
Remove security in Acrobat Pro
With a paid Acrobat Pro subscription, open the file, then choose All tools, Protect a PDF, Set security properties, and remove the password there. Save afterwards. This is the only route that also strips permissions restrictions cleanly.
Check for a permissions password
Some PDFs carry a second password that blocks printing and copying. When that restriction is set, the browser print route is greyed out or produces an error, and Preview's export may refuse as well. There is no free fix for that case, so the document has to go back to whoever applied the restriction.
Keep the protected original. If the document is sensitive, the encrypted file is still the safer copy to store and send. Keep it and treat the unlocked version as a convenience copy that stays on a device only you use.
Without the password, ask the sender. Password recovery and cracking tools are not appropriate for a document someone trusted you with, and many are malware. Request an unprotected copy, or the password, from whoever produced the file.
Sources. Password-protect a PDF in Preview on Mac, Print from Chrome, Remove passwords from PDFs.