Do I need to provide the password to unlock a PDF?

Yes, the API requires the correct owner or user password to unlock a password-protected PDF. Send the password as the `password` field in the multipart/form-data request. If the PDF is not password-protected, you can omit the field and the API will return it unchanged.

Which PDF formats and versions are supported?

The API supports standard PDF files from version 1.0 through PDF 2.0, including AES-128 and AES-256 encrypted documents. Scanned PDFs and PDFs with digital signatures are also supported — only the open password is removed while document content is preserved.

Is the original PDF deleted after unlocking?

Yes. All uploaded files are processed in memory and permanently deleted from our servers immediately after the API response is returned. We do not store, log, or cache any PDF content. Your documents are never retained.

PDF Unlock, Remove PDF Password

Unlock Password-Protected PDF Files via API

Q: How do I send the password in the API request?

Include the password as a multipart form field named `password` alongside the `file` field. Example with cURL: curl -X POST https://api.convertfilefast.com/v2/pdf/unlock -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' -F 'file=@protected.pdf' -F 'password=MySecretPassword123' --output unlocked.pdf

Remove password protection from encrypted PDF documents via REST API. Upload your protected PDF and the password as multipart/form-data and receive an unlocked, accessible PDF in response.

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# Unlock a password-protected PDF
curl -X POST \
  https://api.convertfilefast.com/v2/pdf/unlock \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@protected.pdf" \
  -F "password=MySecretPassword123" \
  --output unlocked.pdf

# HTTP 200 OK — Content-Type: application/pdf

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.convertfilefast.com/v2/pdf/unlock",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    files={"file": open("protected.pdf", "rb")},
    data={"password": "MySecretPassword123"}
)

with open("unlocked.pdf", "wb") as f:
    f.write(response.content)

const formData = new FormData();
formData.append("file", fs.createReadStream("protected.pdf"));
formData.append("password", "MySecretPassword123");

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.convertfilefast.com/v2/pdf/unlock",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" },
    body: formData,
  }
);

fs.writeFileSync("unlocked.pdf", Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer()));

// n8n HTTP Request Node
{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://api.convertfilefast.com/v2/pdf/unlock",
  "contentType": "multipart-form-data",
  "bodyParameters": {
    "parameters": [
      { "name": "file", "parameterType": "formBinaryData", "inputDataFieldName": "data" },
      { "name": "password", "value": "MySecretPassword123" }
    ]
  },
  "options": { "response": { "responseFormat": "file" } }
}

Conversion completed in <2s

Advantages

Why use our API?

Complete and reliable solution for integration in any tech stack.

Instant Unlocking

Remove PDF password restrictions in seconds. Receive a fully accessible PDF that can be read, printed, and edited.

Simple API Call

Send the file and password as multipart form fields. Get the unlocked PDF binary back in the response. No setup required.

Automation Pipelines

Unlock PDFs automatically in document processing workflows. Ideal for batch processing of protected archives.

n8n Integration

Unlock PDFs as part of n8n workflows triggered by email attachments, Google Drive files, or webhooks.

Batch Unlocking

Process multiple password-protected PDFs in a loop. Unlock an entire archive of documents programmatically.

Zero Storage

All PDFs are processed in memory and deleted immediately after unlocking. Your documents are never stored on our servers.

How it works

4 steps to run this conversion

1
Create an API key
Sign up at convertfilefast.com/signup and copy your cff_ API key from the dashboard. The free tier includes 10 conversions per month.
2
POST the PDF to the endpoint
Send a multipart/form-data POST to https://api.convertfilefast.com/v2/pdf/unlock with header X-API-Key: cff_your_key (Authorization: Bearer also works), the PDF as a file field or a public url field, and the current password field.
3
Receive the PDF
The response body is the resulting PDF, streamed back with a Content-Disposition filename. Save it or pass it straight to the next step of your pipeline — nothing is stored on our side.
4
Or invoke it from an AI agent
Add the MCP server to Claude, Cursor or any MCP-compatible client using https://mcp.convertfilefast.com/mcp, then call unlock_pdf({ source_url: '...', password: 's3cret' }) as a single tool call — no HTTP client, no file handling.

For AI agents

Or call this from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client

Convert File Fast ships a native Model Context Protocol server. Give this conversion to an AI agent as a single tool call — no HTTP client, no binary handling, per-user API keys.

Local install

npx -y convertfilefast-mcp

MCP tool call

unlock_pdf({ source_url: "https://example.com/doc.pdf", password: "s3cret" })

Set up MCP Read llms-full.txt

Compared with

Convert File Fast vs alternatives

Product	Native MCP	Free tier	Price
Convert File Fast	Yes	10/month	$0.004/conv from $4
Smallpdf	No	2/day (unregistered)	$9/mo Pro
iLovePDF	No	Rate-limited	$7/mo Premium
Adobe Acrobat Online	No	Limited trials	$19.99/mo Acrobat Standard
CloudConvert	No	25 conv-min	From $0.01/min

Competitor pricing checked on 2026-07-16.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to provide the password to unlock a PDF?: Yes, the API requires the correct owner or user password to unlock a password-protected PDF. Send the password as the `password` field in the multipart/form-data request. If the PDF is not password-protected, you can omit the field and the API will return it unchanged.
Which PDF formats and versions are supported?: The API supports standard PDF files from version 1.0 through PDF 2.0, including AES-128 and AES-256 encrypted documents. Scanned PDFs and PDFs with digital signatures are also supported — only the open password is removed while document content is preserved.
How do I send the password in the API request?: Include the password as a multipart form field named `password` alongside the `file` field. Example with cURL: curl -X POST https://api.convertfilefast.com/v2/pdf/unlock -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' -F 'file=@protected.pdf' -F 'password=MySecretPassword123' --output unlocked.pdf
Is the original PDF deleted after unlocking?: Yes. All uploaded files are processed in memory and permanently deleted from our servers immediately after the API response is returned. We do not store, log, or cache any PDF content. Your documents are never retained.

Start Unlocking PDFs via API

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