How to Remove a Password from a PDF on iPad (2026)

Open the PDF with its password, then save an unlocked copy with Preview, the Print-to-PDF workaround, or an offline app such as UnKey.

On iPad, removing a PDF password works much like it does on iPhone. Open the PDF, enter the password you already have, and save a new copy without the password. You can use the Preview app, the Print screen, or an offline app such as UnKey. The password is always required.

Get the PDF into Files first

Most statements arrive as email attachments. In Apple Mail, touch and hold the attachment and choose Save to Files (Apple: Download email attachments in Mail; the steps are the same on iPad). In Gmail or WhatsApp, open the PDF and use the Share button to save it to Files. Working from a file in Files makes every method below easier.

Option 1: Preview on iPad

iPadOS includes a Preview app for PDFs. Apple documents how to add a lock: open a PDF, tap the menu next to the filename, tap Lock, turn on Require Password, and enter a password (Apple: Lock PDFs in Preview on iPad; Get started with Preview on iPad).

Apple doesn't document a separate "remove password" step. On a PDF that already has a password, you can try opening it in Preview, entering the password, going back to Lock and turning Require Password off. Then close the file and open it again to see whether the password is gone. Apple's own tip for keeping an unprotected version is to tap Duplicate before you lock a file. If you set the lock yourself, the duplicate is the simplest way to keep a copy without a password.

Option 2: Print to a new PDF

This workaround isn't documented by Apple, but it works in many apps:

1. Open the PDF and enter the password.
2. Tap Share, then Print. You don't need a printer.
3. On Print Options, pinch outwards on the page thumbnail to open a full preview.
4. Tap Share and choose Save to Files.

Check the result: forms and links may not survive, and PDFs that block printing won't offer Print.

Option 3: UnKey on iPad

UnKey runs on iPad as well as iPhone and Mac. Share the PDF to UnKey, or open it from inside the app, and enter the password. UnKey saves an unlocked copy to Files. It works offline and uploads nothing. You can save the password so that later statements in the same format open with Face ID or Touch ID, and the saved password stays in the device Keychain. Unlocking is free. UnKey Pro, a one-time purchase, adds batch unlock, which is handy on iPad if you keep a folder of monthly statements. Pro also adds scanning, signing and filling, locking, compression and redaction.

Using Split View

On iPad you can keep Mail or Files open next to UnKey or Preview and drag a PDF from one to the other. This saves a few taps when you have several statements to deal with.

If the password doesn't work

• Passwords are case-sensitive. Try your name in capitals if the format uses your name.
• Check the date format your bank uses: DDMMYYYY, DDMMYY or DDMM.
• Read the email the statement came with. Issuers usually explain the format there.
• Very old statements may use an older format. Download a fresh copy from net banking if you can.

Keep the unlocked copy private

A PDF without a password can be read by anyone who has the file. If your iPad is shared with family, or your Files folder syncs to a shared iCloud folder, think about where you save the unlocked copy.

Questions

Sources

• Apple – Lock PDFs in Preview on iPad
• Apple – Get started with Preview on iPad
• Apple – Download email attachments in Mail on iPhone

Formats can change. If a password doesn't work, check the email the document came with or contact the issuer. UnKey isn't affiliated with any bank, employer or authority named here.