How to Unlock PDF File to Edit on Windows & Mac OS?

Published By Ashwani Tiwari

Published On July 19th, 2023

Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Category Password Recovery

Once opened, you can also change the format of the PDF. The reason PDF files are locked is that today sensitive information is protected by a private or public key, a password lock, encryption, and a security framework. It also restricts access to data, allowing who can and cannot access it. Also, the information in the PDF file is usually secure and cannot be changed without removing the password or changing the format. Locking a PDF file improves the integrity of the content.

Before jumping on the solutions to unlock PDF file for editing, you should be aware of two types of PDF security settings:

• User-level security settings: Here you secure PDF with a password. That means, to open the PDF document to see contents in it you need an opening password.
• Owner level security settings: In this type of encrypted PDF file you cannot modify the document because there can be restrictions like copying editing, printing, signing, etc.

Unlock PDF File to Edit on Windows & Mac OS Manually

To Unlock User-level & Owner-level password in using Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. First, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro application and enter its password to view the file.
2. Click the lock icon mention on the left side and click on the “Permission Details”. Also, you can click File > Properties > “Security” tab.
3. Click on the Security Method box > (in the drop-down menu) “No Security” > click “OK” to unlock pdf file for editing.
4. Now you will be prompted to enter the permission password. Give the password and click on OK. Again click on OK to give the confirmation.
5. Once the file is unlocked, click the Edit PDF tool located on right pane.
6. Then, edit the required things, name your file and hit the Save button.

Note: the above steps can be performed for Windows as well as Mac.

To remove Only user-level password in Mac OS X using the Preview

• Right-click on your password-protected PDF document using a Mac Preview application. Enter the password.
• Now, click on the File menu given on top and choose the Export option.
• Rename your PDF document in “Export as” textbox and make sure to uncheck the Encrypt box and click on Save.

As you can see to remove the owner level security you need to provide permission password using Adobe Acrobat Pro. But what if you don’t know the permission password? In this case, you have to go for an automated solution that will remove PDF restrictions without password.

Expert Solution to Unlock Secured PDF File for Editing on Window & Mac

QuickData PDF Unlocker Tool is an advanced solution that can be used without installing the Adobe Acrobat program on the system. This software maintains data integrity when opening and saving Portable Document Format files

Moreover, this tool also helps to sign secured PDF document in bulk using commercial and enterprise licensed versions of the tool. The original format of the PDF document remains unchanged. Additionally, the corresponding document attachments, multimedia objects, layout controls, and other formatting remain unchanged.

Detailed Information About the Steps to Unlock PDF File to Edit

1. For Windows Operating System
2. Remove PDF File Restrictions Mac

• Download & Run the tool to edit protected PDF without password.

• Click on either “Add File(s)” or “Add Folder(s)” option to insert locked or restricted PDF.

• Now the tool offers two options, “Save” and Print.”

1. By selecting the “Save” option, the user can save the unlocked PDF file to the selected destination.
2. By selecting the “Print” option, you will print the unlocked portable document file immediately. By clicking the “Edit” button, you can specify a location to save the resulting PDF file. Then click Next.

• Click on the “Change” to give the location to save files & click on “Unlock PDF” button.

• When the file is opened, the permission will change from “disabled” to “enabled”. Also, the review status will change from “In Progress” to “Completed“.

For Mac User

• Now launch and check all steps of the software.

• Now, click the Add File or Add Folder option to insert the protected PDF file.

• Here we select the “Save” option. Now, click on the “Change” button and select the destination.

• After that, click the “Unlock” button to start the process of removing PDF restrictions.

• When the file is opened, the permission will change from “disabled” to “enabled“. Also, the unlock status will change from “In Progress” to “done“.

Benefits of Using This Automated Utility

This tool is designed to remove known User–level security and Unknown Owner–level security. It removes all the PDF restrictions so that you can modify your PDF document as you want:

• Removes open document passwords and password passwords.
• Automatically save the unlocked PDF to your desktop or browse to a location of your choice.
• Automatically scans password-protected PDF files and prompts for the password.
• Remove some or all unwanted PDFs from the improved PDF.
• Remove restrictions without removing passwords to open documents.
• Skip protected PDF files if no password is provided to open the document.
• Do not change the folder structure in unlocked PDF outputs.
• In advanced mode, you will be able to edit the PDF file if your editing permissions are very secure.
• You will see the status of the unlocking process, the number of files, and the storage location.
• Option to stop the process of opening a PDF in the middle.
• Go through the unlock process several times without locking your device.
• Maintenance: PDF attachments and controls stay intact after opening.

Conclusion

Now you know which is the best PDF password remover software to unlock PDF file to edit. With the help of this tool, you can unlock/remove restrictions and edit protected PDF without password. You can try the free demo version of this tool to unlock secured PDF and remove PDF restrictions without password. Now your once locked PDF file is ready to edit.