Can Adobe Reader Remove Password from PDF?
Adobe Reader offers tools for viewing documents and their basic editing; however, you cannot remove passwords from PDFs with Adobe Reader. Instead, you must get the premium version of Adobe Acrobat, such as Acrobat Standard and Pro, to do the work. All the features except for the basic viewing and annotating are available in the paid version. In addition, you must understand that you cannot remove passwords from PDFs on mobile using Adobe Reader and can only use the desktop version). Therefore, the premium desktop version is required to manage password-protected PDFs fully, including on mobile devices.
How to Remove Password from PDF in Adobe Reader: Complete Steps
Adobe Reader is a popular tool for viewing, editing, and creating PDFs across Mac, Windows, and Android devices. The standard version offers powerful editing capabilities for professional documents. However, users need to upgrade to Adobe Acrobat Pro, a paid app with advanced capabilities to remove passwords from PDFs using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Adobe Reader alone does not support password removal, enhancing Acrobat's uniqueness and popularity.
Let's learn how to remove passwords from PDFs in Adobe Reader for free with a free trial. You need to provide a credit card to try it for free.
Step 1: Download Acrobat Pro on Your Computer
Launch the Adobe program on your Windows or Mac computer. Then, open the PDF in Acrobat Pro to access the PDF security removal option.
Step 2: Open the PDF File
Get the PDF you need to remove passwords from in Adobe Reader. To do so, click File in the toolbar and tap Open from the dropdown menu. Mac users can also press the Command + O keys to import the PDF file.
Step 3: Remove Password Protection from PDF in Adobe Reader
To use the Adobe Reader PDF Pro software to remove password protection from the PDF, choose File on the main screen and click Properties. Then, tap the Security method button, select No Security and confirm you need to remove the protection.
Step 4: Remove Open and Permissions Password
If your PDF file has a Document Open password, choose File > Print to print the file as a normal unlocked PDF.
Remove Password from PDF with Adobe Reader Alternative
Adobe Reader is a popular PDF viewer, but password protection cannot be removed from PDFs. To remove password protection from PDFs using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, users need Adobe Acrobat or other dedicated tools, as Adobe Reader lacks advanced editing and management features.
Instead, you can use the SwifDoo PDF's password-removing ability to remove (and add) Owner and User passwords. It can open password-protected PDFs and edit, annotate, convert, merge/split, etc., in a single place. SwifDoo PDF not only lets you remove any encryption but also integrates nearly all features on the market. It also allows batch processing of multiple PDF files on Windows PC 11/10/8/7/XP.
Let's learn how to remove a password from a PDF in Adobe Reader and Acrobat's best alternative, SwifDoo PDF.
#1. Remove Permission/Owner Password from PDF
Step 1: Download and launch the SwifDoo PDF on your computer. Tap Open to upload your password-protected PDF, or drag it into the app.
Step 2: Tap Protect in the top menu and choose Decryption from the appearing menu. Or, click Enable Editing in the yellow notification bar.
Step 3: Select Yes, I have a permission password, enter the password and continue. Uncheck the password box, and click Apply in the PDF Decryption box to remove the password protection from your PDF.
Or, choose No, I don’t have a permission password and then click Remove to directly get rid of the password.
#2. Remove Open/User Password from PDF
Step 1: Open the SwifDoo PDF on your computer and drag your protected (open password) PDF into the program. Then, enter the correct password into the input box to open the PDF.
Step 2: Click Protect > Decryption to open the password-removing dialog box.
Step 3: Type the password into the input box and click Apply. The PDF will be unsecured and saved in the default location of the source PDF.
Compare Adobe Acrobat and the Alternative for Password Removal
Adobe Reader is a popular tool for handling PDF queries. It assists with the creation, viewing, and editing of PDF files. However, it is always better to refer to an alternative for greater convenience and enhanced capabilities. While you can remove a password from a PDF file in Adobe Reader (paid version), let's see how it differs from SwifDoo PDF.
Here are the advantages of Adobe Acrobat Reader (Pro) and SwifDoo PDF for removing PDF passwords and managing PDF files conveniently.
Adobe Acrobat Reader (Pro) Best for:
- PDF Password Removal: It provides robust tools for PDF password removal in Adobe Reader, enabling easy access to secured documents.
- Advanced Editing: Offers comprehensive editing capabilities, allowing for modifications and enhancements beyond just removing passwords.
- Security Management: Facilitates setting new passwords and managing permissions, ensuring secure handling of sensitive information.
SwifDoo PDF - Alternative to Adobe Acrobat Best for:
- Efficient Password Removal: Compared to unlocking and removing password security from PDFs in Adobe Reader, SwifDoo PDF offers a streamlined process for quickly removing Permissions and Open passwords from secured documents.
- User-Friendly Interface: It provides a simple, clean, and intuitive interface for managing PDF security without the complexity of Adobe Acrobat.
- Cost-Effective Solution: SwifDoo PDF delivers powerful features at a more affordable price than Adobe Acrobat.
Final Wrap Up
Adobe's popularity is restricted to viewing and basic editing of PDFs only. To remove passwords from Adobe PDFs in Adobe Reader, you'll need premium features by upgrading it to Adobe Acrobat Pro. For an effective and cost-efficient alternative, consider SwifDoo PDF, which offers straightforward tools for removing passwords from PDFs and managing document security with ease, providing a viable option for users.