Free tool · free Formatix account · runs on our servers
Remove a PDF password
Unlock a password-protected PDF you know the password for, so it opens without asking.
- Free account, no card
- Converted on our servers
- Locked PDF in, Unlocked PDF out
Remove a PDF password runs on the Formatix platform
Locked PDF in, Unlocked PDF out. A faithful conversion needs a full office layout engine, so this tool runs on our servers. It is free with a Formatix account: work email, no card, and it does not use your formatting credits.
- 1Sign in or sign up
- 2Drop your Locked PDF file
- 3Download the Unlocked PDF
About this tool
This free tool removes the password from a PDF when you know the password: you enter it once and download an unlocked copy that opens without asking, which helps when a candidate or client sends a protected document that your ATS cannot read. It does not crack or guess passwords. It runs on Formatix's servers with a free account; files up to 50 MB.
How it works
- 1
Open the tool
Sign in to your free Formatix account, or create one with a work email.
- 2
Drop the PDF and type its password
The password you were given for the document.
- 3
Download the unlocked copy
It opens without a password, so your ATS and other tools can read it.
What it does not do
- It does not guess, crack or bypass a password you do not know.
- Only unlock documents you are entitled to open and to store without protection.
Where the conversion happens
Your file is sent to Formatix and converted on our servers, not in your browser, because a faithful conversion needs a full office layout engine. The result comes straight back to you as a download and is not stored on our side. Even so, the file does travel to our server; for anything you would rather keep on your own computer, the browser-only tools on this page never upload.
Questions recruiters ask
- Can it unlock a PDF without the password?
- No. You need the password; the tool removes it so you do not have to type it again.
- Is it free?
- Yes, with a free Formatix account (work email, no card).
- Is my file uploaded?
- Yes. It is processed on Formatix's servers and the unlocked copy comes straight back as a download; neither file is stored.
Converting CVs so you can reformat them?
If the reason you are turning a CV into Word is to retype it into your agency's layout, skip that step. Formatix reads any CV, PDF or Word, in over 40 languages, and fills your own branded template in about 30 seconds.
More free tools for recruiters
- Compress a CV PDFShrink a scanned or photo-heavy CV PDF to get under an ATS, job board or email upload limit.
- Merge CV PDFsBuild one candidate submission pack: cover note, CV, assessment and references in one PDF.
- Extract text from a CVPull the plain text out of a CV PDF to paste into an ATS, a job spec or an email.
- PDF to WordTurn a PDF CV or document into an editable Word file, with the layout kept as closely as the PDF allows.
Open source: github.com/OpenRecruiterTools/recruiter-tools (MIT). Uses pdf.js, pdf-lib, JSZip and SheetJS, served from formatix.ai.