How to Unlock a Password Protected PDF File

September 13, 2019 Matt Mills How to, Software 0

The PDF files are most commonly used when sharing documents in both studies as labor, official and corporate level. And it is that this versatile format allows not only perfectly display any document regardless of the sources installed on a computer, but also prevents it from being easily edited. That is why a PDF document is the closest thing to having a paper document in front of the eyes. Surely on more than one occasion you have run into a protected PDF file and no longer remember your password.

The most obvious solution is to request it again from the person who sent us the file, but sometimes this is impossible. For these cases it is best to unlock the document with the help of third parties.

In this article we are going to show you different methods with which it is possible to unlock a PDF file. We hope it helps you.

How to unlock a PDF file with Google Drive

The first method we are going to share to unlock a PDF file quickly and easily is using Google's free office suite. To do this, access Google Drive by clicking on “Google Apps” (it is the square icon next to your Google user profile) and select Drive.

Then click on the "New" option on the right-side menu and select the "Upload file" option. You will see how in a few seconds your PDF document will be part of your cloud storage.

Right-click on your PDF file from Google Drive and you will see a new drop-down menu will open. From this you must press the "Open with" option followed by "Google Documents”.

Your PDF document with password will be converted to Word without the password. Now you can read it, edit it, add images and share it with other coworkers.

How to unlock a PDF file with free online tools

If the Google Drive method does not meet your expectations, do not worry, there are other ways you can unlock your PDF file with little effort.

A widely used option for these cases is the free online resources that allow you to remove the password for these types of documents with just a few clicks.

All these pages work in the same way, simply complete a form, upload your file to the tool, wait for it to remove the password and download your unlocked PDF. Your documents that you have uploaded will remain private and will be automatically deleted in a few hours to safeguard your data.

While there are many websites that offer this service, not all comply are equally safe. In the case of PDF files, it is better that you always choose to visit trusted pages and then avoid the occasional unnecessary drama. That is why we recommend trusted trust pages such as PDFescape or Smallpdf.

How to unlock a PDF file with programs

Finally, we have the option to download a PDF file editing program and from this, remove the password from the document. Although it is the only option that involves downloading and installing something on our computer, it is also the most complete and safe method if we do not like uploading files to the cloud.

Downloading a program to edit and remove the password to your PDF file has many advantages if we are used to working with these types of documents. Think that thanks to them you can add text, images and even watermarks to documents quickly and easily.

If you want to choose to install a program to remove the password to your PDF file, we recommend the following:

Is there any additional method that does not involve installing or using the cloud?

The last method that remains to be recommended is to request the password from the person who sent you the document in PDF format. We are aware that it is not a viable method if for example you are no longer in contact with that person, if you downloaded the PDF from the Internet or if it was you who put the password and then forgot it. However, if you have the opportunity to request it, this is definitely the fastest and easiest method of all.

We hope this little guide will help you when it comes to unlocking a PDF file.