Best Free Unlock PDF

How it works

1. Upload. Choose the PDF and pick Remove password or Add password.
2. Enter password. Type the current password to unlock, or a new password to protect the file.
3. Download. Your unlocked or newly protected PDF downloads automatically.

About this tool

Unlock PDF removes the password from a PDF you can already open, so you stop being prompted every time. Enter the current password and you get an unprotected copy back. The same tool works the other way: choose Add and it encrypts the PDF with a new password instead. It only unlocks documents you can supply the password for — it is not a way to break into a PDF you cannot open. No watermark, no signup, processed in memory and discarded.

What people use it for

• Stop being asked for a password on a PDF you own
• Remove a known password before merging or editing
• Add a password to protect a sensitive document
• Re-protect a PDF with a new password

Developer API

Automate this tool from your own code. Send a POST request to the endpoint below and get the same result the web tool produces. It is rate-limited per IP and needs no signup — API keys for higher limits are coming.

• cURL
• Python
• JavaScript

curl -X POST https://best.free/api/tools/pdf-unlock/ \
  -F 'file=@protected.pdf' \
  -F 'action=remove' \
  -F 'password=currentpass' \
  -F 'new_password=newpass' \
  -o unlocked.pdf

import requests

files = {"file": open("protected.pdf", "rb")}
data = {"action": "remove", "password": "currentpass", "new_password": "newpass"}

r = requests.post("https://best.free/api/tools/pdf-unlock/", files=files, data=data)
with open("unlocked.pdf", "wb") as out:
    out.write(r.content)

const fd = new FormData();
fd.append("file", fileInput.files[0]);
fd.append("action", "remove");
fd.append("password", "currentpass");
fd.append("new_password", "newpass");

const r = await fetch("https://best.free/api/tools/pdf-unlock/", { method: "POST", body: fd });
const blob = await r.blob();  // the unlocked.pdf

Response: The PDF with its password removed (or added).

Frequently asked questions