Forgetting the password for your PDF file can be a stressful experience. You know your data is locked in the PDF file, and there is no way to edit it or copy content from it.
Relax, you’re not the only one facing this problem.
This post tells some effective ways to regain access when you forgot PDF password. Also, we’ll give you a few tips on how to unlock forgot PDF password without software and never forget it again.
Cisdem Password Remover
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later 
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
There are 2 types of PDF passwords used to protect your PDFs:
PDF User Password (Open Password): Protect PDF file from opening.
PDF Owner Password (Permission Password): Protect PDF file from making changes on editing, copying, printing, etc.
What to Do If You Forgot PDF Password
First, you should figure out whether you can open and view the content of the PDF file.
If you are required to enter the password for opening a PDF file, then your only chance to remove the PDF password is using Cisdem PDF Password Remover or iLovePDF. But it is not easy and the result will depend on the strength of the original password.
If you can open the PDF file, but are restricted to edit, copy or print, you can use all the methods listed below to remove or recover the password.
Rather than keep entering a PDF password every time you try to open or edit it, you can remove the PDF password even if you forgot it.
However, most PDF password removers require you to enter the password before removal. But now you’ve just forgotten the password and expect a way to unlock PDF files without password.
Given your situation, we recommend Cisdem PDF Password Remover. It has been an advanced decryption tool in the market for 10 years. It can recover 100% of PDF file passwords. Equipped with GPU acceleration and a multi-core CPU, it can process files in batch and it is dozens of times faster than regular software.
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Useful Tip: Go to the settings as follows. You can check or fill in the options, like password length, additional characters, etc. By doing so, you will save a lot of time removing the password.
These three steps will safely remove the password from your PDF file, while guaranteeing the integrity of the documents. Now you can open and edit it immediately.
You can also follow this video step by step to unlock your PDF without knowing password.
Smallpdf is one of the most well-known online PDF password remover that can edit, convert, compress, split, merge, protect and unlock PDF documents. When functioning its unlock PDF tool, it can unlock and remove owner password in one step. But it can only remove user password by entering the right password.
iLovePDF is a few of the online PDF Password Removers that support unlocking PDF user password. So it is definitely worth a try.
However, it fails to remove PDF password sometimes, especially when the password is long and complicated, which requires longer time or more advanced tech to decrypt.
Note: Uploading PDF into online services may pose a security risk and result in information leakage. We do not recommend this method if the file has important data.
If your file is restricted from editing and copying, another trick to remove the forgot password is Google Chrome. Since the key is its printing capability, most browsers such as Google Chrome can achieve the goal of eliminating forgotten or lost passwords without any software. But the premise is that the file is not restricted from printing.
If you need to get back your forgot PDF password, there is also an online tool for it, called LostMyPass. Note, however, that you can only recover the open password, and there is no option to recover the PDF permission password. Besides, its free cracking function is much weaker than paid ones. Simple numeric passwords, such as 4321, can be quickly cracked, but for passwords with special symbols including $, %, #, the speed of cracking will be very slow, or even fail.
The success rate is only 22% if you choose the free version of LostMyPass PDF Password Recovery.
Honestly, the above 4 online tools are useful for mobile users as well, because these tools are available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. Sometimes, you may store your PDF files in cloud services like Google Drive, then you can get rid of the editing, copying and printing restriction from PDF inside it directly.
Note: Because PDF and Word are two completely different file formats, the converted Word will more or less lose its original formatting.
We know, you don’t want to be locked out of your PDF anymore. So, let’s discuss some strategies that can help you remember your PDF password.
First, we can choose a memorable password to prevent forgetting it, such as your favorite number followed by the initials of your name.
If you find it still hard to remember, consider writing it down and storing it in a secure location.
If we forgot the password of a PDF file, we can use tools to remove or recover the password. Remember to regularly back up your files together with password information, and consider using a password manager to manage your passwords.
For the sake of information safety and 100% success to unlocking the PDF, desktop programs such as Cisdem PDF Password Remover is highly recommended, because it does exactly what is said on the tin, removing password restrictions and cracking PDF in a safe and efficient way. And in our test, it can unlock PDF file passwords with 100% probability.
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7 Free 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.
Lilah
My new job started with several protected PDF files, I did not know from whom I could get the PDF password. After 3 embarrassing trial, I am determined to buy yours.