Best Free PDF Unlockers in 2026 — I Tested 4 Tools With 25 Locked Documents

ILovePDF (iLovePDF S.L., Barcelona) offers a straightforward unlock tool. Upload a locked PDF, enter the owner password if prompted, and the tool strips permission restrictions (print, copy, edit). The interface auto-detects whether the PDF has an owner password or just permission flags. For permission-only locks, the tool removes restrictions without requiring any password. For password-protected files, you must provide the correct password.

Restriction removal was reliable across all 25 test documents — print, copy, and edit permissions were successfully stripped in every case. Document integrity was good: forms, embedded fonts, and bookmarks survived intact. AES-256 encrypted documents were handled correctly when the owner password was provided.

The catch: free users get 1 task per hour. If you have a batch of locked PDFs from a client, that's painfully slow. The 100MB file size limit blocked 2 of our larger scanned documents with permission restrictions. For paid users at $7/month, these limits disappear.

SmallPDF (SmallPDF GmbH, Zurich) keeps things minimal. Upload a locked PDF, confirm you have the right to unlock it (a checkbox), enter the password if needed, and download the unlocked result. The interface is deliberately simple — no advanced options, just unlock and go. All processing happens on their servers in Switzerland.

Permission removal worked on 23 of 25 test documents. Two documents with combined AES-256 encryption and complex permission flags took multiple attempts. Text and image quality remained intact. Minor form field styling issues appeared on 3 documents — interactive dropdowns lost their formatting after unlock.

Free tier allows 2 tasks per day. Pro costs $12/month — the most expensive in our test. The 50MB file size limit blocked 4 of our test documents. The mandatory checkbox confirming you have the right to modify the document adds a legal friction point.

Soda PDF (Avanquest/Upclick, Canada) offers a web-based PDF unlocker alongside their desktop suite. Upload a locked PDF, enter the password if required, and download the unlocked version. The web tool handles basic permission removal. Their desktop app provides more advanced PDF editing features, but the online unlocker is straightforward. Files are uploaded to their servers for processing.

Basic permission removal (print and copy restrictions) worked on 22 of 25 test documents. Edit restrictions were inconsistently removed — 3 documents still had partial edit locks after processing. Bookmarks were lost on 4 documents. AES-256 support was partial — 2 encrypted documents failed to process.

Free usage is limited to 1 task per day. The $4.99/month plan is the cheapest paid option in our test. The 50MB file limit is restrictive but matches SmallPDF.

PDF24 (Geek Software GmbH, Germany) is a completely free, ad-supported PDF tool suite. Upload a locked PDF, enter the password if needed, and download the unlocked version. No accounts, no usage limits, no watermarks. The trade-off is ads — banner ads between operations and on the results page. The interface is functional but dated.

Permission removal worked on 24 of 25 test documents. One document with a complex permission structure (AES-256 + 128-bit RC4 hybrid) failed silently — the output still had restrictions. Form field preservation was inconsistent — interactive elements lost functionality on 5 of our test documents. Print and copy restrictions were reliably removed across all successful unlocks.

The big advantage: it's genuinely free with no daily limits. No signup, no payment wall. If you can tolerate ads and don't need perfect form preservation, PDF24 gets the job done.