Convert / PDF
Unlock PDF 
Podalls Convert removes the password from a PDF offline on Windows 10 and 11, for free, when you know the password. It also lifts printing, copying and editing restrictions, saving an unlocked copy next to the original.
- Opens
- Makes
- name (unlocked).pdf, next to the original
- In the app
- Tools › PDF › Unlock PDF
- Account
- Not needed
- Price
- Free, for work too
How it works
How to remove a password from a PDF on Windows
Three steps, all on your PC. Nothing is uploaded.
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Open Tools › PDF › Unlock PDF, or choose Unlock on a conversion that failed because of a password.
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Type the password the PDF opens with. Restrictions alone need none.
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Save. The unlocked copy opens without a password; the original is not changed.
What you get
Built for the real document.
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Password checked as you type
The dialog says straight away whether the password opens the PDF.
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Restrictions lifted
A PDF that opens but forbids printing, copying or changes is unlocked without asking.
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Ready to convert
The unlocked copy works with PDF to Word, Merge, Compress and every other tool.
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Offered when needed
A job that failed because of a password offers Unlock for that file.
Your choices
Checked before it starts.
The Unlock PDF dialog, drawn from the app. Every file is checked before anything runs.
Password
The password it opens with. The dialog says at once whether it opens the PDF.
Files
- Statement.pdf Needs its password to open
- Form.pdf Restricts printing, copying or changes; no password is needed
- Notes.pdf Has no password or restrictions
Saved as “Statement (unlocked).pdf” next to the original. The original is not changed.
Under the hood
How it decides.
What it reads, what it saves, and the rules it follows, taken from the app itself.
Reads 1 file type
.pdf
Saves as
- Statement (unlocked).pdf
- Statement (unlocked).pdf from “Statement (protected).pdf” too
Never over another file, and never over your original.
Checked before it is kept
The unlocked copy must open without any password before it is saved.
Names that swap
Unlocking a “(protected)” copy swaps that word for “(unlocked)”, instead of adding to it.
Nothing to unlock
A PDF without a password or restrictions is left alone and marked as such.
App or website?
Why not an online converter?
Online tools ask for your file first. Podalls Convert never does.
Good to know
Honest limits.
What this tool does not do, said plainly.
- You need the password: it does not guess or crack passwords.
- Only unlock PDFs that are yours, or that you are allowed to change.
First time? The install guide shows every screen, including the Windows warning.
How do I remove a password from a PDF?
Open Unlock PDF, choose the file and type its password. The copy saved as “name (unlocked).pdf” opens without one.
Can it open a PDF if I have forgotten the password?
No. Unlock PDF needs the password the file opens with. Restrictions on printing or copying come off without one.
Why does PDF to Word say my file is password-protected?
Converting needs the PDF unlocked. The failed job offers Unlock: type the password and convert the unlocked copy.
Is Unlock PDF in Podalls Convert free?
Yes. Podalls Convert is free for personal and commercial use, with no account and no subscription. Every tool in it, including this one, comes in the same free download.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Podalls Convert does the work on your PC and saves the result there. It only goes online to check for and download its own updates.
In the same free download
Keep going.
Every tool below comes with Podalls Convert. One app, one queue, nothing uploaded.
What you are getting
- Tool
- Unlock PDF, in Tools › PDF › Unlock PDF
- Makes
- name (unlocked).pdf, next to the original
- Works on
- Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit
- Version
- 0.3.0
- Price
- Free for personal and commercial use