Remove print, copy, and edit restrictions from protected PDF documents.
Unlocking a PDF removes password protection or permission restrictions from a document you have the legal right to modify. This is useful when you've inherited a protected document from a colleague, when your own PDF has overly restrictive permissions that prevent you from printing or copying, or when you need to edit a locked file for legitimate reasons. PDFly can strip owner-level restrictions (print locks, copy restrictions) and user-level passwords when you provide the correct password. This runs entirely in your browser.
Upload the locked PDF, enter the password if prompted, and download the unrestricted version. The tool clearly indicates what restrictions were removed during the process. The resulting PDF opens without any password prompt and has no editing or printing limitations — it behaves like a normal unprotected PDF.
This tool only works on PDFs you have authorization to unlock — it does not bypass encryption on documents where you don't have the password. Always ensure you have the legal right to unlock a document before proceeding, especially for documents you've received from others. For adding protection back to an unlocked file, use the PDF Protect tool. It's good practice to keep the original locked version as a backup in case you need to prove the document was originally protected.
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