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

Open the PDF in Preview with its password, choose File > Export, make sure no open password is set, and save a new copy.

On a Mac you can remove a PDF password for free with Preview, the app that comes with macOS. Open the PDF, enter the password, then choose File > Export and save a new copy that has no open password. You need to know the password. Preview won't open the file without it.

Method 1: Preview, File > Export

1. Double-click the PDF to open it in Preview and enter the password.
2. Choose File > Export and give the copy a new name, such as "Statement-Oct-unlocked".
3. Click Permissions and make sure Require Password To Open Document is not selected. On older macOS versions, the Export window has an Encrypt checkbox instead. Leave it unticked.
4. Click Save.
5. Close the new file and open it again. It should open without asking for a password.

Apple's current guide describes the Export window, the Permissions button and the Require Password To Open Document option (Apple: Password-protect a PDF in Preview on Mac). Apple's macOS Big Sur version of the same page put it directly: "To remove a password from a PDF that you encrypted, open the PDF and export it again, this time turning off the encryption option" (Apple, macOS Big Sur guide).

If the PDF also has an owner (permissions) password and you know it, File > Edit Permissions lets you change the opening password and which features need a password.

Method 2: Print > Save as PDF

Any Mac app that can print can make a fresh PDF (Apple: Save a document as a PDF on Mac):

1. Open the PDF with its password.
2. Choose File > Print.
3. Click the PDF pop-up menu and choose Save as PDF.
4. Don't click Security Options, because that's where you'd add a password back.

The printed copy can lose links, form fields or bookmarks. If the document blocks printing, this method may be greyed out.

Method 3: UnKey for Mac

UnKey is free on the Mac too. UnKey Pro, a one-time purchase, adds batch unlocking and the other Pro tools on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Drag a PDF onto the window, enter the password, and it saves an unlocked copy. UnKey Pro can also batch-unlock several files at once, which is useful for a year of monthly statements that share one password. UnKey works offline, uploads nothing, and only removes passwords you already know.

Method 4: Command line (for technical users)

The free, open-source tool qpdf can do it in Terminal: qpdf --decrypt --password=YOURPASSWORD in.pdf out.pdf. Its documentation describes --decrypt as creating "an output file with no encryption even if the input file is encrypted" (qpdf documentation). You install it yourself, for example with Homebrew. Typing a password on the command line can leave it in your shell history.

If it still asks for a password

• You may have opened the original instead of the copy. Check the file name.
• Re-export and check that Require Password To Open Document is turned off in Permissions.
• Try Print > Save as PDF instead.
• If Preview rejects the password, check capital letters and the date format, and read the email the document came with.

Before you delete the original

An unlocked PDF opens for anyone who has the file. That includes iCloud Drive folders shared with family and anyone who borrows your Mac. Keep unlocked statements somewhere private. See is it safe to remove a PDF password for more.

Questions

Sources

• Apple – Password-protect a PDF in Preview on Mac
• Apple – Password-protect a PDF in Preview on Mac (macOS Big Sur version)
• Apple – Save a document as a PDF on Mac
• qpdf – Command-line options

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.