We add password to a PDF to protect our privacy, especially for those highly confidential documents, like a PDF bank statement, a PDF password is necessary. But we may easily forget the PDF passwords. Or the password encrypted PDF was created by a former colleague and we just don’t know the password…In these cases, you will need to remove password from PDF.
Here in this tutorial, we will show you 6 best ways to remove password from PDF on mac with or without password, no matter the PDF is owner password encrypted or user password protected.
Cisdem Password Remover
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Applies to: macOS 10.13 or later including macOS Sonoma
This method supports:
In most cases, we just forgot the PDF password and needing a simple and effective method that can remove password from PDF file without a password. Then a professional PDF password remover for mac will be needed to remove the unknown password.
There are numerous apps available to remove password from PDF files on Mac, but Cisdem PDF Password Remover is the one on the top of my list.
It is super easy to use, you can remove password from one PDF file or a batch of PDF files, it can remove both known or unknown PDF open password or PDF permission password. So, whether you need to access an important document or need to remove the edit or copy restriction on PDF file, this app has got you covered.
In our test, it can unlock bathes of PDF password on mac, and for simple password protected PDF file, it can remove the password in 1 minute.
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7 
Also you can refer to following YouTube video tutorial:
Applies to: All Mac
This method supports:
When working on a Mac, Preview can be deemed as the best free PDF Password Remover for mac. With several clicks, you will get the PDF password protection removed instantly. But it can only remove known password from a encrypted PDF.
Applies to: macOS 10.15 or later
This method supports: Enter the right password to remove PDF open or permission password.
Speaking of PDF, Adobe always comes first into our mind, for the reason that PDF was a proprietary format controlled by Adobe and later officially released as an open standard. So, Adobe Acrobat, as a matter of course, is a good PDF password remover for mac users to get protected files unlocked. However, like Preview, it can remove known password from a PDF only.
In our first solution to remove password protection from PDF on Mac, we recommend our users to turn to the program Cisdem PDF Password Remover because it is really the one performs outstandingly in this field. Of course, there are 3 alternative offline PDF password removers for Mac.
iPubsoft PDF Password Remover for mac has served to remove pdf password protection since 2009, it is both available for Mac and Windows version. The program is designed to remove owner password directly without entering the password, also to remove user password only if you can enter the correct user password.
But the largest problem of iPubsoft PDF Password Remover for Mac lies in its discontinued upgrade, the latest release was on 08/13/2012, users who are using MacOS 10.10 or newer will have problems to use even launch the program.
iStonsoft PDF Password Remover nearly shares everything in common with iPubsoft PDF Password Remover, in terms of UI, features and process. It also offers Mac and Windows versions and the latest Mac version only supports MacOS 10.12 or earlier.
Still, it can remove owner password protection directly, but require the user password to remove the user password protection, without the corrent user password, you won’t be able to unlock the PDF.
With a neat and stylish interface, Wondershare PDF Password Remover allows users to do the password removal in a quite easy way. It supports to remove owner password directly, but still requires entering the correct password to remove the protection from an user password.
It is both available for Mac and Windows platform. Yet, same problem like other pdf password remover, the latest Mac version is for MacOS 10.12 and earlier.
To have a closer look at the difference between these 3 alternatives and Cisdem PDF Password Remover for Mac, please refer to following table:
| Supported MacOS | Remove Owner PW Directly | Remove Known User PW | Remove Forgotten User PW | Unlock Speed | Batch Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisdem PDF Password Remover | MacOS Ventura and earlier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fast | Yes |
| Wondershare PDF Password Remover | MacOS 10.12 or earlier | Yes | Yes | No | Fast | Yes |
| iStonsoft PDF Password Remover | MacOS 10.9 or earlier | Yes | Yes | No | Medium | Yes |
| iPubsoft PDF Password Remover | MacOS 10.12 or earlier | Yes | Yes | No | Medium | Yes |
So, as you can see, Cisdem PDF Password Remover for Mac is probably the only one that can remove both owner and user password protection, even if you have forgotten the user password, also the one among few to work on the latest MacOS Ventura. That’s no wonder, Cisdem PDF Password is picked as the best PDF Password Remover for Mac by so many users.
Applies to: All Mac
This method supports: Remove simple PDF permission password without a password.
Enter the right password to remove PDF open or complicated permission password.
If you are looking for a way to remove PDF password with online sites, we recommend iLovePDF. It is totally free to use and it requires no email for downloading the unlocked PDF.
It works well with most of the owner password protected PDF files. you just need to upload the PDF file and it will remove the password in just seconds. If you have user password protected PDF. this online site can only handle simple users password protected PDF files. like 3 to 6 digits password only. if you PDF have password longer than 6 digit, or have special symbols, the online will fail to remove the password and it will take forever to decrypt. In this case, you’d better try with Cisdem PDF Password Remover.
Step 1. Go to https://www.ilovepdf.com/unlock_pdf
Step 2. Click Select PDF file to add your locked PDF files.
Step 3. After uploading, click unlock PDF to start removing password from PDF files.
Step 4. Wait for the online site to process and removing the PDF password, when it ready download the unlocked PDF file.
Applies to: All Mac
This method supports: Remove PDF permission password without a password. But the PDF must not be locked from printing.
In Mac, some users are get used to open PDF files with web browsers like chrome, Firefox and Safari and thanks to the print feature, we can easily remove PDF password protection that restrict edit or copy PDF files.
Remove PDF Password on Mac with Chrome or Safari:
Say, you just need to open PDF with any web browser on Mac, then you’d follow these steps:
Maybe, but you are not recommended to do so.
Actually, I tried the steps on Internet to remove password from PDF with Mac Terminal. It requires you to install qpdf and brew to run the command lines. I installed the both tools, but when running commands, it requires me to install another tool called X-code to run the lines. And then I get repeated error message in Mac Terminal. So, I quit.
Even if you have make the command lines run well, it is far too complicated to remove a password from PDF with Terminal, it is just not necessary to do so.
No, you can not, you have to subscribe Adobe Acrobat to use its Protect tool.
Adobe Acrobat Reader can only open, view, bookmark, print, annotate your PDF files, you can enter PDF password to view or print the file, but you cannot remove the security settings without buying Adobe Acrobat.
There are 2 types of PDF password, user password and owner password.
PDF User Password: Also named PDF open password. which restrict you access to open PDF files. Many PDF files share online are locked with this kindle password. Thus you can download and get the PDF files, but you just cannot open it with the right password. Most of the online PDF password remover don’t support removing this kindle of password. If you have this kind of PDF, you'd better use a PDF Password Remover software.
PDF Owner Password: Also named PDF Permissions Password. which set restrictions on what you can do with a PDF file. This include editing, printing, copying, etc. In this case you can open and read the PDF file, but you are not allowed to copy, modify or print the PDF files. Most of the PDF password removal tools supports removing this kind of protection. So unlocking a PDF with owner password is much easier than that with a user password.
There may be more option to remove pdf password protection on a Mac, but the most efficient way is always turning to an expert. And for this reason, I recommend you to invest in a third-party app like Cisdem PDF Password Remover for Mac to remove the PDF password.
Megan has an impressive deal of experience with Mac software and has the ability to explain tech stuff in a simplified, straightforward and easy to understand way.
Howard Cotter
I tried online tools at the beginning, but went nowhere. It seems that offline programs are the best way out, they allow to remove both user and permission password.
Andrew
I feel 3rd party ones are better, they are fast to run, good at bringing satisfying results.
Jonny
Come here to say thank you. I manged to remove the password from downloaded web PDF with your tool, it is really great and saved me. Thanks again.
Gina
You mean the app can find back forgotten pw? Oh, that's really cool cuz I got a bad memory here.
Elisa Swift
Thanks for sharing, I tried and it worked, really useful.