how to open password protected pdf file without a password

If your PDF file contains sensitive information, you can secure it with a password. Then again maybe this loophole will itself get plugged in another five years or so.In today's digital world, PDF format is widely used for sharing files because of its cross-platform compatibility. I was then able to save a password-free version.Īll of this is a bit silly: there’s really no point in locking down Preview if all you need to do is use another app. Just open the password-protected PDF in your browser of choice, enter the password, and then print to PDF just as you would have in Preview (or even just open an unencrypted copy right in Preview). I used Chrome for my first foray, but I then tested the same process in Safari, and it works just as well. Making an end-run around these restrictions is as easy as firing up your web browser. 1 But when it comes to my personal usage, it’s decidedly inconvenient.īut it turns out, whoops, Apple didn’t implement these security features across the board. In theory, this is a good security practice to avoid having password protected files easily stripped of those protections. Exporting as a PDF simply maintained the password protection, and trying to save as as PDF from the Print menu wasn’t even an option: the system now grays it out.

However, in macOS Monterey I was surprised to discover that these loopholes have been plugged. That generates a version of the file without the password protection. In the past, I’ve simply used the loophole of opening a PDF in Preview, entering the password, and then using the File > Export as PDF… command or the old trick of printing to a PDF. However, when uploading these for my accountant, I find it convenient to strip out the protection, so that I don’t have to provide a bunch of passwords as well. Several of them used a handy service that emails tax forms, which also thoughtfully encrypts and password protects those files. Admittedly, the annual ritual has gotten a lot easier for me since getting a) an accountant and b) getting most forms delivered electronically as PDFs.īut I ended up with a wrinkle this year when I was processing a few of the tax forms provided by my clients. Quick Tip: Export encrypted PDF without a password in Monterey

How to open password protected pdf file without a password