A Neat Trick To Remove Password From PDF Using Google Chrome
Google seems to have a thing for PDF files. From converting PDF files to merging multiple PDF files, Google products usually have built-in support to manage PDF files. Similar to other Google products, Chrome also supports opening PDF files by default. However, did you know Chrome can also remove passwords from PDF files? Well, I didn’t until last week when I had to remove the password from my bank statement to submit it to a company for verification and Adobe Acrobat Reader didn’t help.
If you are also looking to remove passwords from a PDF file, then Google Chrome is all you’ll need. Today, I’ll show you how to remove password protection from PDFs using Google Chrome.
Note: You can only remove the password from a PDF file if you already know the password. If you don’t know the password, then you won’t be able to open it to follow the procedure.
Remove Password From PDF Using Chrome
First, make sure you have Chrome installed and the password-protected PDF file downloaded on your PC. Afterward, follow the below steps to remove the password from the PDF file:
1. Right-click on the PDF file and select “Google Chrome” from the “Open with” menu.
2. You’ll be prompted to provide the password. Enter the correct password to open up the PDF in Chrome.
3. Afterward, click on the “Print” button at the top-right corner.
4. In the left panel, click on the “Change” button under the “Destination” section.
5. Here select “Save as PDF” from the list of destinations.
6. Now just click on the blue “Save” button and save the new PDF file on your PC.
This new PDF file will not be password protected while still saving the PDF data in its original form. However, do keep in mind that this method will not work if the PDF file is not allowed to be printed. In most cases, people don’t prevent printing rights (especially official companies), so this method should work in most cases.
Tip: You can follow the same steps in Opera and Microsoft Edge browsers as well to remove passwords from a PDF file.
Wrapping up
Honestly, I found this method to be much easier than using a dedicated PDF reader. It’s especially useful if you don’t interact with PDF files often, and therefore, you don’t have a dedicated PDF Reader or a PDF password remover tool installed.
If you know any other way to remove passwords from PDF files, do share with us in the comments.
now its not working
Thanks for sharing this , i wasn’t aware of this trick
very helpful
How to remove pdf password in mobile.
Alternatively you can use the Microsoft “Print to PDF” printer (installed with Office I think) but I find the Chrome one to be better quality.
It doesn’t work for me on Android. The only “open with” options are Drive PDF viewer or Kindle. I have no options to open with either chrome or google docs even though both these apps are installed.
It’s been years since this was posted and it still works like a charm.
Thank you for sharing this with us.