How to Unlock PDF on Mac OS X? [Solved]

Way 1: Unlock PDF on Mac with Google Chrome

For many, Google Chrome is the browser of choice, whether you use a Windows, Linux, or Mac operating system. It is common to use a browser-enabled tool to open PDF files. Now I will explain the steps to open PDF with Google Chrome on Mac.

• Open a locked PDF with Google Chrome.
• After opening the PDF file in Google Chrome, You can click on the menu icon in the upper-right corner.
• Then select the “Print” option. You can also Enter the Command + P” on your keyboard.

• In the print window, hit the “change” button.

• In the new wizard, Select the Save as PDF option.

• Finally, click the Save Option.

Here’s how to open PDF files with Google Chrome on Mac. However, this method only works for PDF files that do not have printing restrictions.

 Way 3: Unlock PDF on Mac using Terminal and Python Script

Python and the PyPDF2 library must be installed for you to unlock a PDF on a Mac using Terminal and a Python script. This is a comprehensive guide:

Install Python:

• Python is often pre-installed on mac OS. If you open Terminal and type the following, you can see if you have Python installed:

python3 –version

• Python can be installed using Homebrew if it isn’t already installed:

/bin/bash -c “$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)”

brew install python

• Install PyPDF2: Use pip to install the PyPDF2 library.

pip3 install pypdf2

• Use a Python Script to Open a PDF

• Write the Python script to unlock PDF on Mac.

• Make a new Python script file by opening Terminal. For instance 

touch unlock_pdf.py

• Access this file using a text editor such as Nano.

nano unlock_pdf.py

Write the Script to unlock PDF on Mac:

• The Python code below should be copied and pasted into the file. However an encrypted PDF will be transformed into a new, unlocked version by this script to remove password from pdf mac:

import PyPDF2

def unlock_pdf(input_pdf, output_pdf, password):

    try:

        # Create a PDF file reader object to open PDF on Mac OS

        pdf_reader = PyPDF2.PdfFileReader(input_pdf)

        

        # Check if the PDF is encrypted to open PDF on Mac

        if pdf_reader.isEncrypted:

            # Decrypt the PDF

            pdf_reader.decrypt(password)

            

            # Create a PDF file writer object

            pdf_writer = PyPDF2.PdfFileWriter()

            

            # Add all pages to the writer object

            for page_num in range(pdf_reader.getNumPages()):

                page = pdf_reader.getPage(page_num)

                pdf_writer.addPage(page)

            

            # Write out the decrypted PDF to open PDF on Mac OS

            with open(output_pdf, ‘wb’) as output_file:

                pdf_writer.write(output_file)

            

            print(f”Unlocked PDF saved as: {output_pdf}”)

        else:

            print(“The PDF is not encrypted.”)

    except Exception as e:

        print(f”An error occurred: {e}”)

 

if __name__ == “__main__”:

    import sys

    if len(sys.argv) != 4:

        print(“Usage: python unlock_pdf.py <input_pdf> <output_pdf> <password>”)

    else:

        input_pdf = sys.argv[1]

        output_pdf = sys.argv[2]

        password = sys.argv[3]

        unlock_pdf(input_pdf, output_pdf, password)

• Save and Close the File: If you’re using nano, use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + X, Y, and Enter to save and exit.

Execute the script to open PDF on Mac OS.

• Locate and open the Script Directory:

• Locate your script by navigating to its directory in Terminal. 

cd /path/to/your/script

• Run the script with the necessary parameters, which are the password, the desired output PDF file, and the input PDF file: 

python3 unlock_pdf.py input.pdf output.pdf yourpassword

• You should replace the paths to your encrypted PDF file with input.pdf, the location of the unlocked PDF you intend to store, and use your password instead of the current one for the PDF password.

To decrypt a password-protected PDF, use Python and the PyPDF2 module. The encrypted PDF is read and decrypted using the supplied password, and a fresh PDF without password protection is printed out. You must ensure that you have the legal right to unlock the PDF on Mac OS, as bypassing security measures without permission may violate the terms of service or be illegal.