Jun 27, 2019 For example, on a Mac, you can do this with Preview, or any other PDF viewer and the built-in PDF printing feature. First, open the protected document in Preview and provide the password it requires. Click File Print to open the print dialog.
What if you have an old password-protected PDF file whose password you do not remember any longer? What if you need to access the file urgently? No need to worry as there are a few ways to decrypt the PDF file and bypass the password. In this article we will discuss various methods to remove security password from the PDF files.
Method 1: Google Chrome to Crack PDF Password
You can use Google Chrome to remove the password from PDF. But, this method will only work if you already know the password. If you do not know the password, skip to the next method in this article. Chrome comes packed with a native PDF reader and does not require any additional plugin. You can open the password protected file in Chrome browser and then save it on your hard disk sans the password. Here are the simple steps:
1. Open Chrome browser on your computer.
2. Locate the PDF file you wish to crack the password from on your hard disk.
3. Drag and drop the file onto the Chrome Window.
4. Chrome will now begin to render the file. Enter the PDF file password when prompted by Chrome. You should now be able to see the file within the Chrome Window
5. Press CTRL + P (if you are using Windows PC. If you are using Mac, press CMD + P) to bring up the print menu.
6. On the left pane, under ‘Destination' press ‘Change' button.
7. Choose ‘Save as PDF' as the new destination on the popup Window.
This will be it! The new file will be saved on your hard drive and it will be without any password protection.
Method 2: The Best Solution to Crack Password from PDF Document - Dr.PDF
As we know there are two kinds of password that can be used on PDF file, Owner password and user password. Many online PDF password breaker service will only help you break owner password. But not crack open password, we highly recommend using iSeePassword Dr.PDF which is one of the best password break tool you will find. It helps you break PDF passwords as well as any other restrictions. Whether the PDF file has the owner password or master password, this incredible program will take care of all.
Just download the trail and try to crack PDF security password all by yourself. Easy, and safe, never damage to your original PDF data.
Part 1 Crack Open Password from PDF File
Download and install PDF Password Cracker on a computer. After you download the program on your computer, install and run it, then you will see the main interface like blow.
Here we will use the first option to recover open password. Click 'Add File' button to import your PDF document. Then you will be asked to select a type of attack, do not be intimidated! This is just for recover your file password instead of damaging your data.
You can choose between Brute Force Attack, Mask Attack, Dictionary Attack. We recommend you choosing Mask Attack because it can improve the chance of finding your password. Click the settings button to make parameters.
Once your finish the parameters then click Start button, then waiting! It may take a little longer if the password is file is actually a lot more complicated.
Once the password is found, you will get a messages with Congratulation word. Then you can now use the found password to open your PDF document without any issue.
Part 1 Crack Owner Password from PDF File to Edit, Modify or Print
Open the Dr.PDF again and choose the second option.
Click the Add File button to import PDF files. You're allowed to add up to 200 file a time. Even though the program still shows consistency in play and never crashed. There are two ways to saved the exported PDF files, one is save the target PDF on the source folder. It means you can save the PDF on the folder where the source file are. You can also specify an output folder for the exported PDF files.
NOTE: You're allowed to clear the imported PDF lists by clicking Remove button on the top toolbar.
Start to Break PDF Password Now! After you imported the PDF files and specify the output folder, just click the Start button to begin the breaking process. If there is a lock icon appearing on the PDF item bar, it means the imported PDF file is protected by open user,then you will be asked to type the Open password in the pop up window.
Method 3: Use One of the Free Online Tools to Crack PDF Password
If you don't know the password of the PDF file, Method 1 will not work. Thankfully, there are several online tools that let you crack the password of various types of PDF files. Some of these tools also allow you to select multiple files at a time. This saves you effort and time. But, there are some serious drawbacks of using the free online tools. First of all, most such free tools restrict password crack to PDF files of certain size. For instance, you may not be able to crack the password if the file size exceeds 100 MB. You also need high speed internet connection to process multiple files.
You can check these online PDF password cracker sites:
1. http://freemypdf.com/
2. https://www.pdfunlock.com/
3. https://foxyutils.com/unlockpdf/
FreeMyPDF.com | PDF Unlock | FoxyUtils UnlockPDF | |
---|---|---|---|
Conversion Method | Need online access | Need online access | Need online access |
File Size | 150MB | 5MB | 30MB |
Type of files | All files | Owner-Restricted files only | All files |
Formatting | Preserved | Some formatting may not be preserved | Preserved |
Difficulty | Easy-to-use | Easy-to-use | Easy-to-use |
Cost | Free | Free | Free |
One of the biggest challenges is that you cannot always trust these tools. There are some sites that end up sneaking in the malicious programs to your computer. That's certainly not what you want.
If you are still using the free online tools, here are the generic steps to crack the PDF password:
1. Open the web browser on your computer and visit the website which you intend to use to crack PDF password.
2. Click the button 'Select Files' or 'Open Files' (the button label may vary across sites). The 'Open' dialogue box should appear.
3. Select the PDF file (or files) from which you wish to remove the password.
4. Click 'Open' button at the bottom and wait for the website to complete the process.
![Unlock password protected pdf Unlock password protected pdf](/uploads/1/2/7/2/127241306/790282391.jpg)
![Password Password](/uploads/1/2/7/2/127241306/826622115.jpg)
If you are lucky, the website will process all the files successfully. However, more often than not, you may encounter an error message. These websites are not very effective. So, what is the solution? Look at the method 3.
When you receive a password-protected PDF file in email, the file text is unsearchable. Also, you may have an old file whose password you may have forgotten. In both the cases, you can use the methods outlined above to crack the password.
pm / Posted by Vicky Tiffany to Windows 7
Related Articles & Tips
PDF is the most used format for a published document. Its availability on all OS platforms and all devices makes it a common ground for sharing any document. In terms of security, PDF is generally a read-only format and its content cannot be edited easily but sometimes you do feel a need to password protect your PDF file so that no can access the content at all. Or if you are sending a file to someone you would want only such person to be able to read the content.
If you have a doubt on how protected your PDFs are, well, that depends on what kind of protection have you applied on your file. If you use a simple third-party app to set a password for opening your file, it might be breached by an app that doesn’t recognize such a lock feature. You may even find that your browser was directly able to open a password protected PDF you just received on Email. To avoid the breach, I will recommend you use software that provides encryption to the content of your file (128-bit preferred) and not just a simple password.
Method 1: Password Protect PDF on Mac Natively
Step 1:
Locate and open the PDF document on your system using the deafult app ‘Preview’. The file needs to be open for you to be able to set a password.
Step 2:
Click on the ‘File’ tab on the menu bar and look for the option ‘Export’. Do not confuse with ‘Export as PDF’.
Step 3:
Click on ‘Export’ to see duplicate file saving options. The process saves a duplicate file at a destination of your choosing.
Step 4:
Check the box before ‘Encrypt’ to give your file a passcode. The set passcode will on be applicable on the new file. The original file will remain unprotected as before or if you had a password on the original file as well, it remains intact and does not get affected. Preview uses 128-bit RC4 encryption.
Read: PDF Editors Without Watermark for All Platforms
Method 2: Password Protect PDF on Mac Using Pages
Most PDF documents are drafted on editing software and then exported as PDF files. If you are in a process of drafting a document that you wish to convert into password protected PDF later, you don’t necessarily have to take the pain of saving a PDF and then following the above steps to export another PDF altogether. You can do it right here at Pages, let’s see how.
Step 1:
Open the Pages file that you wish to convert into a password protected PDF. Click on the ‘File’ tab on the menu bar and look for ‘Set Password’.
Step 2:
Click on ‘Set Password’ and insert your new password. This action will encrypt your ‘Pages’ file with a passcode.
Step 3:
Click on the ‘File’ tab on the menu bar and select PDF under the ‘Export’ tab.
Step 4:
Export the file as PDF and check the password box. The same passcode will continue for your PDF file as well. In case you wish to put a separate passcode simply click on the ‘Change Password’ tab and put in a new password. Setting a new password to the newly exported PDF will not affect the password of the original Pages document.
Alternative:
You may choose to directly follow Step 3 and export your unprotected Pages file. While exporting select ‘Require password’ and set a new password to the exported PDF. This won’t affect the original Pages file either.
Method 3: Password Protect PDF Online
There are a number of websites that help you do everything possible for a PDF file. One of such sites is Smallpdf. It has every feature that you can name and it does the job pretty well and quick. The services are paid for obvious reasons but it does let you perform two tasks(any) per hour for free. So if it’s not a bulk of PDF documents, you can encrypt your PDF here. Yes, it uses 128-bit AES encryption so it’s pretty secure.
Step 1:
Open Smallpdf and click on Password Protect PDF. You may even simply Google Smallpdf password protect and a direct link will pop-up. If you’re reading this on a laptop, use the link Password Protect PDF on Smallpdf.
Step 2:
Choose your PDF document or simply drag and drop it on the highlighted area. The file will then upload and you will be asked for a password. Click on Encrypt file after putting in your password.
Open Password Protected Pdf
Step 3:
Download your file by clicking on the given link. You may even share your file directly to a drive or an Email address.
You may even remove a password using Smallpdf PDF Unlocker. It claims to remove the password of some simple password protected PDF’s even when you don’t know the password. But if it can’t do it, it will ask you for the password which is pointless as you can remove a password on your macOS Preview app without much effort. Read below to know how.
Method 4: How to Password Protect a PDF in Adobe Reader
Unlock Password Protected Pdf
Step 1:
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Reader Right Click on PDF > Open With > Adobe Acrobat Reader
Step 2:
Click on ‘Protect’ from the PDF editing menu on the right side of the window to view the options.
Step 3:
Click on ‘Add’ to set a password to your PDF document. Now, if you are using a free version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, it will redirect you to the subscription page on their website and ask you to buy. These features are available in the standard free version of the application only in limited countries for Windows PC.
Read: 9 Best PDF Editors That Are Worth Your Money
Remove Password From a PDF on macOS Using Preview
To remove a PDF password using Preview on macOS, simply export the file without checking the ‘Encrypt’ box and a new file without a password will be saved.
Password Protect PDF on macOS
Add Password To Pdf Mac
These are a few methods to password protect a PDF on macOS without using a third-party app. One thing you might think I’m missing here is MS Word. Well, if you use Microsoft office on macOS you really don’t have a straight option to convert your Word document into a protected PDF. The thing with MS Word is that even if you set a passcode on a Word file on macOS (menu bar > tools > protect), the protection is lost the moment you save the file as PDF. So go on and protect your content from being exposed to unwanted people.