How to remove password from PDF on Mac quickly and safely

My mom came to me with a protected PDF and, even though she knew the password, she was tired of entering it over and over again — especially since she types very slowly. She asked if there was a way to save her from the hassle, and of course, I had to help out. I found a few ways to safely remove the password so she wouldn’t have to type it in 100 times. If you’re in the same boat, I’ll show you 6 different methods to unlock your PDFs when you already know the password — no cracking involved, just making life a little easier!

Apps to remove PDF password	Your steps
Nitro PDF Pro	Install and open the app > Open PDF > Inspector tab > Click lock icon > Create owner password > Save.
Preview (Mac)	Open PDF with Preview > Enter password > File > Export > Set Format > Save.
Adobe Acrobat	Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat > Enter password > Protect PDF > Set security properties > No Security > Save.
Google Chrome	Drag the PDF into Chrome > Enter password > Click printer icon > Save.
Safari (Mac)	Drag the PDF into Safari > Enter password > Press Command + P > PDF button > Save.
Terminal (Mac)	1. Use Homebrew. 2. Install qpdf by entering: brew install qpdf 3. Run: qpdf --password=YOUR-PASSWORD --decrypt input.pdf output.pdf *Replace YOUR-PASSWORD with the current PDF password, input.pdf with the path to your PDF, and output.pdf with the path for the unlocked file.

How to remove a password from a PDF with Nitro PDF Pro

My personal favorite is Nitro PDF Pro. It's a superhero tool that can protect and modify your files in almost any way you need.

First, it's great for working with sensitive information: you can add an electronic signature, redact sensitive data, apply a watermark, and so on. Second, Nitro PDF Pro combines dozens of editing features that you usually have to get separately in other apps: OCR, merging with other PDFs, adding annotations, and more.

But let's get back to the subject at hand. Here's how to remove a password from a PDF using Nitro PDF Pro:

1. Download and install Nitro PDF Pro.
2. Open the PDF file with Nitro PDF Pro.
3. Enter the password.
4. Click the Inspector tab in the upper right corner, then click the lock icon.
5. Create and enter an owner password.
6. Edit the permissions by checking the appropriate boxes.

Your file is now unlocked, and you won't need to enter the password the next time you open it.

Note: Nitro is the best choice for users who need both editing features and security management in a single app. If you just need a quick one-time unlock without extra features, Preview works fine (see next section). If you ever need to secure a PDF on a Mac again, Nitro lets you reapply User and Owner passwords and restore permissions at any time.

Quick tip: If you're dealing with a dense PDF and just need the essentials, this PDF Summarizer GPT assistant is worth a quick try. I ran a 40-page document through it and got a solid summary without losing any of the key context.

How to remove a password from a PDF using Preview on Mac

Another excellent method for managing PDF passwords is the built-in Mac tool Preview. This method is best if you only need to change the settings once and don't have special editing needs, such as adding annotations or converting the file to Microsoft Office.

To remove a PDF password with Preview, follow the instructions:

1. Open your password-protected PDF with Preview (double-click the file).
2. Enter the password.
3. Go to File > Export. Make sure the Format field is set to PDF.
4. Click Permissions.
5. Check the boxes corresponding to the permissions you want to grant.
6. Create and enter an Owner Password.
7. Click Apply.

Tip: When you save, you can replace the protected PDF with a new unlocked file. Alternatively, you can create a new file with a new name and keep the protected version.

How to remove a password from a PDF in Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is one of the most reliable ways to manage PDFs (do not confuse it with the free Acrobat Reader). It has a rich set of tools but is quite expensive, starting at $19.99 monthly. I recommend trying the free 7-day trial first. Keep in mind that the installation file is heavy, and the setup process may take some time – this is normal.

Before you start,  PDFs in Adobe Acrobat can have two types of passwords:

• User password: Required to open and view the document.
• Owner (Permission) password: Required to change security settings, printing rules, or editing rights.

To fully remove all password protection and restrictions, you must have the appropriate permissions (often the Owner/Permissions password). If you only know the document's open password, you can open the file, but in some cases, you may still be blocked from changing security settings and will need the permissions password from the document’s creator.

Here's how to remove the known owner & user password from a PDF in Acrobat: 

1. Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Enter the password.
3. On the left sidebar, click Protect a PDF > Set security properties.
4. In the Security Method drop-down, choose No Security.
5. Click OK.
6. Save your PDF.

Documents created with Adobe Acrobat may have more than one level of security. Therefore, after step 4, Acrobat may ask you for a Permission Password.

This means that the document's owner has allowed you to view and perform some actions with the file, but has prohibited you from changing the file access parameters. In this case, you'll need to ask the owner for the Permission Password to unlock a locked PDF.

How to unlock a PDF using Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a fast, no-install option to remove a password from a PDF on any Mac. You open the file in Chrome, unlock it with the password, and print it as a new PDF. Chrome automatically creates an unlocked copy while leaving the original protected file untouched

Here's the quick and easy way to remove a PDF password through the browser:

1. Drag the document into the Chrome window.
2. Type the password.
3. Click the printer icon in the upper right corner.
4. Choose which pages to save: all or selected.
5. Click Save, specify the name and location of the document, and confirm the save again.

You're done! Note that you now have two versions of the PDF: the one with the password and the new one that doesn't have it. If you don't need the original file, delete it to avoid cluttering up your storage space on your Mac.

How to remove PDF password protection using Safari

Safari works similarly to Chrome as a PDF password remover but gives you more control over output settings. It's ideal when you need to adjust page size, orientation, or scaling before saving the unlocked file.

Safari's way to remove security from PDF is similar to Chrome's but offers more options:

1. Drag the document into the Safari window.
2. Type the password.
3. Press Command+P.
4. Specify document parameters, if necessary. You can change the paper size, layout direction, scaling, orientation, and more.
5. Click the PDF button in the lower left corner.
6. Specify the name and location of the document and confirm saving.

Again, you will get a duplicate file, but without the password.

How to remove a PDF password using Terminal (QPDF method)

If you'd like to unlock a PDF with the Terminal, I have instructions for you, too. The most important thing is to follow each step exactly as described because every character and space matters.

Before you start, back up your original PDF. Terminal commands overwrite or create files directly, making mistakes difficult to reverse.

Here's how to remove password protection from a PDF with Terminal:

1. Open Terminal and install Homebrew by entering the following command:/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)
2. Pay attention to the Terminal's response. If you get the message "Warning: /opt/homebrew/bin is not in your PATH", follow the Terminal's instructions in the Next steps section.

   

3. Install QPDF (command-line tool and C++ library) by entering the following command:
4. Use the command below to remove the password. Replace YOUR-PASSWORD with the current password of the PDF, input.pdf with the path to your PDF, and output.pdf with the path where you want the unlocked PDF to be saved. To get the path, simply drag the PDF file into the Terminal.
   qpdf --password=YOUR-PASSWORD --decrypt input.pdf output.pdf
   
5. Check the output.pdf to ensure it's been decrypted and accessible without a password.

You can delete the original locked file if you no longer need it.

How to password protect a PDF on Mac

Once you've learned how to remove password from PDF, you may also want to know how to add protection back. From my experience, encrypting a PDF on Mac is straightforward and you can do it with Preview or Nitro PDF Pro, depending on how much control you need.

To password protect a PDF with Preview:

1. Open PDF in Preview.

2. Go to File > Export and make sure Format is set to PDF.

3. Click Permissions > Select Printing, Copying, or Editing as needed.

4. Select Require Password to Open Document and set a User Password (required to open the file) and/or an Owner Password (required to change permissions).

5. Click Apply, then save the file.

   

To password protect a PDF with Nitro PDF Pro:

1. Open the PDF in Nitro PDF Pro.

2. Click the Inspector tab in the upper right corner.

3. Click the lock icon and set an Owner Password.

4. Configure permissions: restrict saving, printing, or copying as needed.

5. Save the file.

   

Personal advice: Always use a strong, unique password and store it somewhere safe. If you lose the password, recovering it is very difficultm even with dedicated tools. For example, I keep it in Secrets 4, a secure password manager that makes it easy to store your passwords safely and even helps you create strong, reliable passwords.

Summary: Best ways to remove a password from a PDF

As you can see, it only takes a few minutes to open a password-protected PDF. You can do it easily using Preview on Mac, Google Chrome, or any other browser. You can even try Adobe Acrobat for more functionality. But if you want to always have the perfect set of PDF editing features at your fingertips, Nitro PDF Pro is a great choice.

Best of all, Nitro PDF Pro is free for seven days as part of a trial with Setapp, a platform with dozens of apps for Mac and iPhone. Try Setapp for free today and discover a new collection of your favorite tools.

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