When you get a password protected PDF file but you don’t get its password, or you forget the password of your PDF, online PDF password crackers are the first resources you should check for opportunities.
However, numerous online sites claimed that they can unlock PDF files without password, can they really live up to their promises?
To see if these tools can actually crack PDF passwords, we tried out most of the popular ones on the market and put together a list of the best PDF password crackers in this article. You no longer have to waste time dragging your encrypted PDF into various online tools to try to crack passwords one by one.
Cisdem Password Remover
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
There are two types of passwords for PDF files: permission passwords and open passwords.
Permission passwords prevent the PDF file from being modified, edited, copied, or printed without permission.
If the password is simple, most of the online cracking tools can remove them.
Open passwords are used to restrict others from opening the PDF file. Almost all online sites can’t remove open password without entering the correct password. Even most of the offline PDF password cracking tools find it difficult to remove them.
Except for some unfriendly websites, here I’ve compiled a list of best PDF password cracking tools online. Different tools have different focuses, so you can choose your favored one according to your needs.
| PDF Password Cracker | Crack open password | Crack permission password | Batch support |
|---|---|---|---|
| iLovePDF | Only Simple Password | Yes | Yes (up to 2 PDF files) |
| Smallpdf | No | Yes | No |
| LostMyPass PDF | Only Simple Password | Yes | No |
| Free My PDF | No | Yes | No |
| CleverPDF | No | Yes | No |
| Soda PDF | No | Yes | No |
| Online2PDF | No | Yes | Yes (up to 30 PDF files) |
As the most popular and highly rated PDF website in recent years, iLovePDF gives you the freedom to try 25+ PDF tools for free and batch process PDF files. It is free to use and offers functions like unlocking, merging, splitting, compressing, converting, rotating PDF files, as well as tools for adding watermarks to PDF files.
You may notice that many online PDF password crackers can only unlock owner/permission password directly, but iLovePDF allows users to crack highly encrypted password even without password. What’s more, you can process 2 files at one time to save time.
Official Website: https://www.ilovepdf.com/unlock_pdf
How it works: Select password-protected PDF files from your Mac, Windows, Google Drive or Dropbox. When they upload, just press the “Unlock PDF” button.
Limits:
Also read: How to Unlock a PDF on Mac Even Without Password
The second is “Smallpdf”, the most visited website created by a Swiss company, with more than 100 million users worldwide. It brings 30+ PDF tools and is available in the 20 most spoken languages. This PDF password remover can unlock permission-password-protected PDF files without password and remove open password with the correct password.
Official Website: https://smallpdf.com/unlock-pdf
How it works: Upload your protected PDF by choosing from device, Dropbox, Google Drive or Drag-n-Drop. If no strong encryption exists, you can crack PDF password online directly. If it is strongly encrypted by open password, then you should provide the password. Finally, download the cracked file once it is ready.
Limits:
Also Read: How to Edit a Secured PDF Without Password in Minutes
If your PDF file is locked by an open/user password without a correct password, then the following tool is suitable for you. LostMyPass is an online free PDF password finder that supports recovering open/user password for encrypted PDF file and removing it.
Official Website: https://www.lostmypass.com/file-types/pdf/
How it works: Firstly, agree to the Terms and Conditions by clicking the checkbox, and drop the PDF file you want to unlock to the uploading area. Then the recovered password will appear on the interface, you can download the unlocked file once ready.
Limits:
Also read: How to Print a Secured PDF Without Password
“Free My PDF” is another totally free online PDF password cracker that supports removing owner password from protected PDF. But please note that it doesn’t work for user-password-protected PDF.
Official Website: http://www.freemypdf.com
How it works: This tool is simpler than others. Just upload your permission-password-protected PDF files to it, and click “I agree, do it”. Then you’ll get a download dialog box, where you can save the unlocked PDF.
Limits:
CleverPDF comes with 40+ powerful and permanently free online PDF tools for users to unlock, split, convert, create, rotate, compress, encrypt, combine, watermark and organize PDF files with simplified procedures. With the help of the PDF password remover, owner/permission password can be removed instantly. But it can’t crack an open password since it’s strong protection. In that way, you need to provide the password.
Official Website: https://www.cleverpdf.com/unlock-pdf
How it works: Drag and drop your PDF file from Google Drive, Dropbox or your local device. If it is encrypted by the open password, it can’t get access to the content and you have to enter the correct open password. For permission password protected PDF, it can be unlocked by clicking “Start conversion”.
Limits:
Soda PDF is an online PDF site with 15 years of experience. In addition to the online version, it has also launched a desktop version for Windows and Mac devices. This site is safe to use, but it can only remove password from PDF files when you know the password.
Official Website: https://www.sodapdf.com/unlock-pdf/
How it works: Upload your password-protected PDF file by clicking “Choose File”. Enter the unique password to open the locked PDF and click “Unlock” to remove the restrictions from your file. Or click “Start conversion” to crack permission password directly.
Limits:
This handy website is specifically working for PDF documents. It offers a variety of practical tools such as compressor, viewer, protector, converter, merger and unlocker. It’s quite easy to unlock less than 30 PDF files at a time and remove the restrictions like editing, copying and printing.
Official Website: https://online2pdf.com/unlock-pdf
How it works: Drag your permission password protected PDF files onto the drop zone, then click “Convert” button to start unlocking process. When it is unlocked successfully, the service will auto download the converted file.
Limits:
When testing online PDF password crackers, we found that they were successful at cracking simple and short passwords quickly, but for complex and long passwords, they were prone to errors and failures. Additionally, they typically come with some limitations on file size and number. In this case, a professional PDF password cracker application should be a more ideal choice.
Cisdem PDF Password Remover is an expert in cracking and removing PDF passwords. It combines the benefits of powerful brute force capability, enhanced cracking speed, support for bulk processing and guarantee of file security.
No matter whether your PDF file is protected by the owner password or user password, whether you know or forget the password, it can smoothly decrypt the PDF file and remove the password protection.
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
How to Remove PDF Password on Mac or Windows?
Free download Cisdem PDF Password Remover on your Mac or Windows.
Run the program on your device, drag and drop multiple password-protected PDF files into the interface or add them by clicking the “+” button.
Once the PDFs are imported, click “Remove” to create an equivalent PDF file without any password protection if your original PDF is only protected by an owner password. 
If there is a lock icon appearing when you upload a PDF, it means your PDF is protected by a user password, enter the correct password or click “Forgot?” if you have lost it. Once the user-password protected PDF is decrypted successfully, the lock icon will disappear, click “Remove” to create an equivalent PDF without securities.
Useful Tips:
When you need to decrypt the user-password protected PDFs, fill the parameters in as follows to crack faster.
All online free PDF password crackers mentioned as above are convenient and efficient, though they fall short of our expectations in some ways. If you ask for more services than that these online free PDF password removers can offer, try a desktop one such as Cisdem PDF Password Remover.
What is your favorite PDF password cracker online?
Please leave us a comment or share it with all of us on social media.
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7Free Download macOS 10.13 or later
Carolyn has always been passionate about reading and writing, so she joined Cisdem as an editor as soon as she graduated from university. She focuses on writing how-to articles about PDF editing and conversion.
Benjamin E. Garcia
I had tried several pdf password removers before, but none of them is useful to crack an open password. Helpfully, this post saves me! I got my password removed from pdf successfully in cisdem pdf password remover.
Adrienne
I use the first one, success vs failure:50% vs 50%, I can take the results, but narrowly.
Will890
It is totally for free, I like this article, I will others.
William852
This looks good. But I really don't know there are so many risk if I use free online tool.