How to Open Password Protected or Encrypted Adobe PDF Files
For security reasons, users like to encrypt their PDF files especially confidential data. They would set permission requirements or add passwords to restrict users’ activities such as to disallow printing, etc. However, sometimes due to certain reasons or special circumstances, we are empowered legally to crack password protected or encrypted PDF files. For instance, your boss requires you to print some documents but the documents are protected by a former colleague who has left the organization. Under this situation, you have no choice but to find a solution to unlock or crack the encrypted PDF files.
In most PDF encrypt tools or applications, users are normally allowed to apply two types of passwords: owner password and user password. With owner password, users will have full access to the PDF files without any restriction. Users will be controlled or restricted in certain actions such as viewing only but no printing if they were given a user password.
To open a password protected PDF file, you can try out a more commercial solution using password decryption tools. There are two applications you can actually try: -
Advanced PDF Password Recovery
Advanced PDF Password Recovery from ElcomSoft is a program to decrypt password-protected and restricted Adobe Acrobat PDF files which have either “owner password” or user password. This software uses methods like Brute Force, Mast, Key Search and Dictionary Attack to guess the password and remove the protection. It will try all the possible character combinations to decrypt the files. However, the process might be lengthy and time consuming. If you want to have a feel on how this software works, you can actually download the trial version via the link here. Of course, many functions have been disabled in the trial version.

PDF Password Remover
Another software you can try is PDF Password Remover by VeryPDF. This software can be used to decrypt protected Adobe Acrobat PDF files, which have “owner” password set, preventing the file from editing (changing), printing, selecting text and graphics (and copying them into the Clipboard), or adding/changing annotations and form fields. Decryption is done instantly. Decrypted file can be opened in any PDF viewer (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader) without any restrictions — i.e. with edit/copy/print functions enabled. All versions of Adobe Acrobat (including 7.x, which features 128-bit encryption) are supported. However, there is a limitation in this software. It doesn’t work with documents which have “user password”. You can also download the trial version of PDF Password Remover for testing.
PDF Unlocker is a freeware that able to remove PDF restrictions.
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November 5th, 2009 23:51
I solved my case of a protected pdf file in windows, by passing to linux (fedora) and you are unprotected.
June 29th, 2009 18:26
how to crack adobe password for free
May 8th, 2009 17:17
Any apps for Mac to hack pdf DRM or password to print protected pdf files?
November 22nd, 2008 01:56
[...] PDF without any password to open makes life easier to avoid having to crack the PDF password if the password is forgotten in [...]
November 1st, 2008 23:53
this program really works! i used it and now i can print the files! hahaha tnx
!
September 20th, 2008 22:45
Nice post, thank you.
January 7th, 2008 18:03
[...] PDF files, if you lost or forget the password required to open the document. There are plenty of commercial PDF password recovery software available which must be purchased with cold hard cash to unlock or crack a password locked PDF document. You [...]
December 30th, 2007 06:28
And the pdf files with DRM protection? The protected files were opened in a pc that now I don’t have access, exists some possibility? I tried with xpdf in linux however dind’t work. I think that the xpdf only open the files until version 1.5 and these files are 1.6.
December 30th, 2007 03:11
[...] Tags: adobe pdf, pdf, pdf password, windows software 29Dec I was inspired by the post at Digital Inspiration which was entitled How to Open Password Protected or Encrypted Adobe PDF [...]