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Effortlessly Save Protected PDF File as Unprotected – Quickly

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Published By Mohit Jha
Tej Pratap Shukla
Approved By Tej Pratap Shukla
Published On March 29th, 2024
Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading

PDF is the most preferred file format as it provides high confidentiality as compared to other documents. It is the closest alternative to paperless documents & is mainly used in many legal firms, financial services, businesses, or other departments. People secure them by adding passwords or restrictions so that no one can access them without prior permission. 

But, sometimes users want to know how to save protected PDF file as unprotected so that they can easily view or open the file. It becomes very monotonous or time-consuming for the user to enter the password again and again for viewing the PDF documents. 

List of Topics Explained in this Article:

On the other hand, restrictions in PDF documents do not allow the user to perform any action like copy, edit, print, sign, comment, etc. Hence, for the resolution of these problems, it is necessary to remove restrictions from PDF document. Thus, in this blog, we will guide you with simple & easy steps so that the user can save locked PDF as unlocked document on any Mac & Windows machine.

How to Save Protected PDF File as Unprotected? (Windows)

PDF File Restriction Remover is a trustworthy and reliable application to save protected PDF file with no password. By using this software users can easily save password protected PDF as unprotected & known user-level password security from PDF. It is a versatile utility with endless features to remove edit protection, print, comment, and sign restrictions from PDF files. If the PDF file is having encryption i.e. 128/256 bit then it can be easily removed by the software.

If in case, the protected PDF file is having some corruption issues then it is necessary to repair the file first & then use the tool for removing the protection. Moreover, the software is compatible with all versions of the Windows Operating System i.e. 10, 8.1, 8, 7, etc which makes it easy to fix the issue of how to save protected PDF file as unprotected.

If the user wants to keep the source PDF password in the output PDF then they can check the option “Keep source PDF password in output PDF“. Also, the tool to save locked PDF file as unlocked document provides a “Save” or “Print” option for saving or printing the unlocked PDF file.

Step-by-Step Process Working for Windows Users

Follow these simple steps to perform the procedure:

1: Download and launch the software and click on the Unlock button to save locked PDF as unlocked.

save protected PDF file as unprotected

2: Now, an Unlock PDF file wizard appears, click on the Add Files / Add Folder option to insert relevant PDFs.

Note: The software will request you to enter the password if the file is password-protected, otherwise, we will proceed further.

inserting PDF files

3: The software provides two options “Save” & “Print” for “how to save protected PDF file as unprotected.”

hit on the save or print options

4: Browse the destination location for saving the resultant PDF document by clicking on “Change”.

choose the destination

5: Then, click on the Unlock button to unlock and save password protected PDF as unprotected.

click unlock to save protected PDF file as unprotected

6: Lastly, the software will notify you with a pop-up message about the process completion.

press the OK option

Is There Any Free Solution to Save Locked PDF as Unlocked Document Manually?

Yes, Google Chrome provides the functionality to save unprotected PDFs. As the user browses the document it will request to enter the document open password as we have shown in the below screenshot. But, if the file is protected with restrictions like edit, copy, sign, etc., then in such cases it is necessary that the Print option should be enabled to remove the file security. Otherwise, this manual solution will fail.

save secured pdf without password

How to Save Protected PDF File as Unprotected on Win & Mac?

The Adobe Acrobat Pro is a helpful program for working with PDF files. It lets you create, edit, and manage PDF documents easily. You can change text, images, and more in your PDFs. Plus, it also helps turn scanned documents into editable text. Acrobat Pro keeps your documents safe with features like passwords and encryption. Now, we will learn how to initiate the task using it. 

  • Upload the protected PDF file in the program.
  • If prompted, enter the password to unlock the document.

enter the password

  • Once the document is unlocked, click on the File menu and select Save As>choose the destination location.
  • Select the format as PDF>Click Save to store the unprotected file.

Easily Save Password Protected PDF as Unprotected on Mac OS X

This software is also available for “how to save protected PDF file as unprotected on Mac.” The Mac version of the program can be used for processing multiple PDF documents. It provides an Add File or Add Folder option to insert various PDF files for unlocking purposes. 

The tool is capable enough to remove 128/192-bit encryption from PDF files. Also, along with password security, it is possible to remove any type of protection i.e. copy, edit, print, or comment from PDF files.

Instructions to Save Locked PDF as Unlocked on Mac

Follow these simple steps to save files without a password on Mac OS X:

1. Download and run the software on a Mac machine to save password protected PDF as unprotected on Mac OS.

save protected PDF file as unprotected

2. Click the Add Files or Add Folder button to insert one or more PDF files

choose PDF to upload

3. If the file is password protected then enter it and click on the Next button.

4. Select the location for the resultant document by clicking on Change.

click on change

5. Lastly, hit the Unlock button to begin the process.

hit on unlock

Manually Save a Password Protected PDF File as Unprotected Via Preview

Mac Preview allows users to change protected PDF documents. Initially, it will request to enter the password (like as we have shown in the below screenshot). However, after applying the password the document will become password-free. But, one thing should be noted the Encrypt option should be unchecked. Although, manually we can do this, at the same time a single PDF file can be used. Hence, this manual method fails for the batch PDF process.

 change password protected pdf to unprotected

Also Read: How to Save Apple Mail as PDF – Quick Solution Here  

Author’s Suggestion

The post provides users with an overall idea of how to save protected PDF file as unprotected. Among all the possible ways, we described the most practical ones that work. Users can either go through manual techniques and implement them at their own risk. Or simply opt for the convenient utility to save password protected PDF as unprotected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1- How to remove the password lock from PDF & save it unprotected?

Use the software and remove password lock from the protected PDF document. Once it is done the file will become password free.

Q2- Why users don’t prefer to save locked PDF as unlocked with Google Chrome?

It’s because the Google Chrome method will fail if the file is protected with print restrictions.

Q3- How to save protected PDF file as unprotected using Online Tools?

Yes, there are several online services available on the internet. For the same, you have to open any of them>upload PDF>click on Unlock>hit on Save. However, this approach is not practical for large volumes of data; need to restart the process for each PDF.

Q4- Is it possible to save password protected PDF as unprotected on Mac?

Yes, of course, the Mac version of the software is also available, free to download from the main site.

  author

By Mohit Jha

Mohit is a Microsoft-certified expert who has assisted thousands of clients with Outlook & Microsoft Office 365 issues. He enjoys writing on email clients as well as data migration. He is always excited about giving troubled readers the most up-to-date knowledge, explanation, and refinements.