Unlock a password-protected PDF
Strip AES-128 / AES-256 from a PDF you own (password required) — decrypted in your browser, never uploaded. 18 USC §1030 + UK Computer Misuse Act 1990 by design. Beats iLovePDF $7/mo, Smallpdf $12/mo, Adobe $19.…
How it works
Drop the PDF
Your protected file loads straight into the browser tab — nothing is transmitted, so there is nothing in transit to protect.
Enter the password
Type the password you set when protecting the file. It stays in the tab: it is passed to qpdf running locally in WebAssembly and never sent anywhere.
Download the unlocked PDF
Get back a freely editable PDF with the encryption layer removed and the content untouched. No watermark, no signup.
Why choose iFillPDF
Password required
Provide the original password so the tool can remove the encryption layer from a file you are authorized to open.
AES decryption
Removes AES-128 and AES-256 protection set with Acrobat or any other tool, using qpdf â the same engine behind most professional PDF pipelines â compiled to WebAssembly.
Original quality kept
PDF content is unchanged, only the encryption layer is stripped: no re-rendering, no re-compression, no watermark.
Nothing leaves your device
Decryption runs entirely in your browser, so neither the protected file nor its password reaches a server â ours or anyone else’s. iLovePDF, Smallpdf, Adobe and PDF2Go all require you to upload both.…
Technical details
Strip AES-128 or AES-256 encryption from a PDF you legitimately own — type the password and get back a freely editable file in seconds, decrypted by qpdf compiled to WebAssembly inside your own browser tab. Neither the file nor the password is ever uploaded, which for a document you had to protect in the first place is rather the point. We never crack passwords by design: 18 USC §1030 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, UK Computer Misuse Act 1990 §1, EU Cybersecurity Act Reg 2019/881 + Directive 2013/40/EU all criminalize unauthorized decryption. Beats Smallpdf SERP-2 $12/mo (150K reviews), iLovePDF SERP-1 $7/mo, Adobe Acrobat Pro SERP-6 $19.99/mo, PDF2Go SERP-9 $5.99/mo.
Go further with lifetime access
E-signature proof log, business templates, no watermark. $8.99, one payment, for life — no subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?+
Yes — the free plan gives you everything with a watermark and 0 AI Deep Detect, then a one-time $8.99 Lifetime payment removes the watermark for good, and AI Deep Detect comes as one-time credit packs. No credit card required for the free plan.
Is my data safe?+
Yes — we host in Frankfurt (EU), AES-256 at rest. GDPR-compliant, never used to train third-party AI.
Can you unlock a PDF when I do not have the password?+
No. Cracking a PDF you do not own violates the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act 18 USC §1030(a)(2)(C) (5-yr federal felony, max 10 yrs for repeat or commercial-purpose offenses), the UK Computer Misuse Act 1990 §1 (unauthorized access, 12 mo summary / 2 yrs indictment) + §3 (unauthorized modification, 10 yrs), the EU Cybersecurity Act Reg (EU) 2019/881 and Directive 2013/40/EU on attacks against information systems, plus AU Criminal Code Act 1995 §477.1 and CA Criminal Code §342.1. We refuse on principle and by law — Reddit r/pdf and Microsoft Tech Community SERP-3 + SERP-7 both surface "PDF Cracker" tools that explicitly target weak passwords; iFillPDF will not. If you legitimately own the file but lost the password, ask the original sender or your IT admin for a fresh copy, or recover the password via your own credential manager (1Password, Bitwarden, macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Vault).
More PDF tools
Keep going with a related tool — try without signing up, free account to download.