Unlock PDF, free, no upload
Remove the password from a PDF you can open: enter it once and save a copy that opens without it.
Remove the password from a PDF you can open: enter it once and save a copy that opens without it. Runs in your browser, so the PDF is not uploaded. No account.
- Your file stays on your device
- Works in any current browser
- No sign-up, no email
- Your file stays on your device
- Works in any current browser
- No sign-up, no email
- 4.8 rating · 100K+ downloads
Unlock PDF: how it works
Your bank, payroll or school sends PDFs that ask for a password every single time, and some apps and upload forms can't open them at all. You know the password; you just want a copy that opens straight away.
Step 1: Open the locked PDF
Select the file and type its password.
Step 2: Unlock
Filo opens it with your password and removes the encryption.
Step 3: Download
Save a copy that opens without a password, with printing and copying allowed.
Filo vs iLovePDF and Smallpdf
Full comparisons →| Filo | iLovePDF | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where your file goes | Stays in your browser, not uploaded | Processed on its servers, deleted within two hours | Uploaded to its servers, deleted after one hour |
| Free use without an account | Yes, 3 free conversions in total | Yes, with limited processing | Yes, usage limits may apply |
| Phone app | Free for life, with no daily limit | Free download with limited daily tasks · Premium for more | Free within a daily task limit · Pro for more |
| Paid plan | Optional on the web · the app is free for life | Premium from US$4 a month, billed yearly, or US$7 monthly | Pro subscription with a 7-day free trial |
Based on each service's public free plan, checked November 2026.
Sources
- iLovePDF security: Files processed on the platform are automatically and permanently deleted within two hours of being processed.
- iLovePDF pricing: Free plan: limited document processing and limited batch processing. Premium: US$4 a month billed annually (US$47 a year) or US$7 billed monthly.
- iLovePDF terms: Free Account as an unregistered user; Premium only as a registered user.
- iLovePDF on the App Store: Free with in-app purchases (Premium monthly and yearly); the developer states free users get limited daily tasks in the app.
- Smallpdf Compress PDF: Files are deleted automatically after one hour; try it for free with no sign-up; usage limits may apply; iOS and Android apps.
- Smallpdf on the App Store: Free with in-app purchases; free within a daily task limit; Smallpdf Pro subscription with a free 7-day trial.
Unlock PDF, answered
All FAQs →Can it unlock a PDF if I don't know the password?
No. You need the password that opens the file. Filo doesn't guess or crack passwords. A PDF that opens without one but blocks printing or copying can be unlocked without a password.
Does unlocking change the content?
No. Pages, text, images and links stay as they are. Only the encryption and the printing or copying restrictions are removed.
Is my PDF or my password uploaded?
No. The PDF is unlocked in your browser, so neither the file nor the password leaves your device.
Do I need the app to use this tool?
This tool works entirely in your browser. Your file is not uploaded, and no account is needed. On the web you get 3 free conversions; the Filo app is free for life, with no daily limit.
