Remove a known password or a copy/print restriction — decrypted on your device, never uploaded.
Remove a known password or a copy/print restriction — decrypted on your device, never uploaded.
Remove a password or permission lock from a PDF you have the right to use — entirely in your browser. Two kinds of locks are handled: permission-only restrictions (the file opens fine but blocks copying, printing, or editing) are removed losslessly, keeping text and vectors intact; open-password PDFs are decrypted with the password you supply and rebuilt page by page. Your document and password never leave your device. This is for unlocking your own documents — it does not crack or guess unknown passwords.
Drop your locked PDF
Drag the PDF onto the page or click to browse. It opens in the GhostPDF studio with Unlock pre-selected.
Enter the password if it has one
If the PDF needs a password to open, type it — it's used locally for decryption only. Permission-only locks (no open password) need nothing: leave the field blank.
Download the unlocked PDF
GhostPDF re-saves the document without the restriction and hands you the file. Nothing was uploaded.
Can this crack a PDF password I don't know?
No. If the PDF requires a password to open, you must supply the correct one — GhostPDF removes a known password, it doesn't bypass or brute-force encryption. Only unlock documents you own or have permission to use.
What's the difference between an open password and a permission lock?
An open password is required just to view the file. A permission lock (owner password) lets the file open normally but restricts printing, copying, or editing. GhostPDF removes permission locks losslessly with no password needed; open-password files require the password.
Will the unlocked PDF keep selectable text?
For permission-only locks, yes — the document is re-saved without restrictions and text and vectors are preserved exactly. For open-password PDFs the pages are decrypted and rebuilt from rendered images, so text selectability can be lost — the standard trade-off for client-side unlocking.
Is my password or document sent to a server?
No. Decryption and re-saving run in your browser with pdf.js and pdf-lib. There's no upload endpoint, so neither the file nor the password can leak.
Free?
Yes — free, no signup, no watermark.
Every GhostPDF tool runs entirely in your browser. Your file is never uploaded — there's no upload endpoint to send it to.