Most courts on this site reject PDFs with a password or security restrictions: California Superior Courts, Florida state courts, New York State courts, Texas: Harris County District Courts, Illinois trial courts, U.S. District Court, District of Oregon, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Nevada, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. There are two kinds: an open password, needed to view the file, and a permissions password, which blocks printing, copying or editing. Both cause rejections.
Only remove security from files you are allowed to change. You need the password for either kind.
Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Open the PDF and enter the password.
- Choose File, then Properties, then the Security tab.
- Set Security Method to No Security and confirm.
- Save the file.
Mac Preview
Open the file with its password, choose File, then Export, make sure Encrypt is not selected, and save a new copy.
Google Chrome
Open the PDF in Chrome with its password, choose Print, and set the destination to Save as PDF. This works when the file allows printing.
qpdf (free, command line)
qpdf --password=YOURPASSWORD --decrypt locked.pdf unlocked.pdfLast updated October 18, 2026. Menu names can vary by software version.