Unlock a PDF

Remove owner-level restrictions, or decrypt a .pdf.enc file created by Mae's Protect PDF tool.

Mae's Unlock PDF tool handles two cases: PDFs locked with owner/permission passwords (which pdf-lib can strip by rebuilding the document), and .pdf.enc files produced by Mae's own Protect PDF tool, which it decrypts with your password using AES-256-GCM. Browsers can't remove a genuine user/open password that a desktop tool applied — for those, a desktop PDF app is required.

Frequently asked questions

Does this work on any password-protected PDF?

It removes owner/permission locks from standard PDFs and decrypts Mae's own .pdf.enc files. PDFs that require a password just to open (user-password encryption) need a desktop tool.

Do I need a password for a .pdf.enc file?

Yes — enter the same password you used when protecting it with Mae.

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