PDF Password Not Working? What to Check (2026)

Most rejected PDF passwords come down to letter case, an auto-capitalised or auto-corrected keyboard, a pasted space, the wrong date format, or details that differ from the bank's records.

If a PDF says the password is wrong, the cause is usually small: a capital letter, a keyboard that changed what you typed, an invisible space from copying, or a date in the wrong format. Work through the checks below in order. Most people find the problem in the first five.

Typing problems

1. Capital letters. PDF passwords are case-sensitive. Axis Bank asks for the first four letters of your name in upper case (Axis Bank), while Upstox contract notes use your PAN in lower case (Upstox). RAVI1505 and Ravi1505 are different passwords.
2. Auto-capitalisation. Phone keyboards often capitalise the first letter of a field. If you need ravi1505, check the first letter didn't become R.
3. Autocorrect and suggestions. Tapping a suggestion can add a space or change a word. Type the password character by character and turn suggestions off if needed.
4. Copied spaces. Copying a password from an email or note often picks up a space at the start or end. Type it instead, or delete and retype the last character.
5. Keyboard layout and Caps Lock. On a computer, check Caps Lock and the input language. A different keyboard layout puts some symbols and letters on different keys, which matters for passwords you chose yourself.
6. 0 and O, 1 and l. Customer IDs and PANs mix letters and digits. A PAN has letters in positions 1–5 and 10 and digits in 6–9.

Wrong details

1. Date format. DDMM, DDMMYY and DDMMYYYY are all different. Use leading zeros: 7 March is 0703. See date of birth formats explained.
2. Your name as the bank has it. The bank uses the name on its records, which may start with an initial or a surname. Some issuers skip spaces and dots and others count them. Federal Bank ignores them (Federal Bank), but UIDAI counts them for e-Aadhaar (UIDAI).
3. Old mobile number or wrong ID. Formats with mobile digits use the number registered with that account, which may be an old one. Customer ID, CRN and CIF are not the same as the account number.
4. Old statement, old format. Issuers change formats. BDO switched its credit card password from 14Sep1991 style to Sep141991 style on 15 June 2025 (BDO). An older PDF needs the older password.

Wrong document, wrong format

• Account vs card vs loan. One bank can use different passwords for each. ICICI Bank credit card statements use the last 4 digits of the card (ICICI Bank), unlike ICICI account statements.
• Joint, NRI and business accounts may use the first holder's details or the date of incorporation.
• Self-chosen passwords. For some documents you set the password yourself, such as SBI's ESTMT SMS code or a CAMS CAS request. No pattern will work. Use what you typed.

When nothing works

1. Search your inbox for the statement email and read the password line again.
2. Download the statement fresh from the bank's app or website. A damaged download can also be rejected.
3. Try a different app. If one PDF viewer misbehaves, try another before assuming the password is wrong.
4. Ask customer care what format they use and which name, date and mobile number they hold.

See how bank PDF passwords are built and what to do if you forgot a PDF password. Once it opens, save the password in UnKey on iPhone, iPad or Mac. It stays in the device Keychain behind Face ID, so next month's statement opens without retyping.

Questions

Sources

• Axis Bank – Statement password support page
• Upstox – Accessing contract notes
• Federal Bank – How to download account statement
• UIDAI – What is the password of e-Aadhaar?
• BDO – New eSOA password
• ICICI Bank – Credit card statement online

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.