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Password Protect / Unlock PDF

Add a password to a PDF, or remove one you already know.

This file never leaves your device

Password protect or unlock a PDF without uploading it

Password tools are the sharpest case for client-side processing. Using an ordinary online tool to add a password means uploading both the confidential document and the password meant to protect it to the same server, at the same time. Removing a password means uploading a document and its key.

Here, both the file and the password stay in your browser tab. Nothing is transmitted, so there is no server that ever sees either one.

Encryption is applied by qpdf, a well-established open-source PDF tool, compiled to WebAssembly and run locally. This is real PDF encryption, not a viewing restriction flag that any tool can ignore.

How to use it

  1. Open the password tool and select your PDF.
  2. Choose whether to add a password or remove an existing one.
  3. Enter the password. It stays in the browser tab and is never sent anywhere.
  4. Press the button, then download the result.

Questions

Can this remove a password I do not know?
No. Removing protection requires the correct password. This tool unlocks a PDF for someone who already has the password but wants a copy without it — it does not crack or bypass encryption.
Is my password sent anywhere?
No. The password is used inside your browser tab to encrypt or decrypt the file locally, and it is never transmitted. There is no server that could log it.
What kind of encryption is used?
Standard PDF encryption applied by qpdf, so the protected file opens with a password prompt in any normal PDF reader.
What happens if I forget the password I set?
The file cannot be recovered. Because nothing is stored on a server, there is no reset, no backup and no support channel that can unlock it for you. Keep the password somewhere safe.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Every tool on this site runs inside your browser tab using WebAssembly. Your file is read from your disk into the tab's memory, processed there, and written back out as a download. It is never sent over the network, so there is no server copy to leak, subpoena, or forget to delete.
Do I need to create an account?
No. There is no signup, no email, and no login on any tool. You can use every tool an unlimited number of times without identifying yourself.
Is there a file size limit or a daily limit?
There is no daily limit and no artificial size cap. The real ceiling is your device's memory: roughly 200-500MB per file on a desktop, and closer to 50-100MB on a low-end Android phone. Past that the browser tab can run out of memory.
Is the output watermarked?
No. Output files are clean. Nothing is stamped on them, and no page is added.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The tools run in any modern mobile browser, including Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS. Large files are slower on a phone than on a laptop because the processing happens on the device itself.
Does it work without an internet connection?
You need a connection to load the page the first time. Once the page has loaded, the actual PDF processing needs no network at all — you can turn off your Wi-Fi before pressing the button and the tool will still work.