Java Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Remove the Password and Encryption from a PDF

See more PDF Protection Examples

Demonstrates the removeEncryption operation, which saves the PDF with no encryption at all: no password, no restrictions. It needs owner rights, so the PDF is loaded with its owner password. As with every Protection operation, the change is applied when the file is written. Java

import com.chilkatsoft.*;

public class ChilkatExample {

  static {
    try {
        System.loadLibrary("chilkat");
    } catch (UnsatisfiedLinkError e) {
      System.err.println("Native code library failed to load.\n" + e);
      System.exit(1);
    }
  }

  public static void main(String argv[])
  {
    boolean success = false;

    //  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
    //  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

    //  The PDF used in this example is available at encrypted_user_password.pdf

    CkPdf pdf = new CkPdf();

    //  Removing the encryption needs owner rights: load with the owner password.
    pdf.put_OwnerPassword("owner-secret");
    success = pdf.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/encrypted_user_password.pdf");
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(pdf.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    CkJsonObject json = new CkJsonObject();
    CkJsonObject jsonOut = new CkJsonObject();
    success = pdf.Protection("getInfo",json,jsonOut);
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(pdf.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    System.out.println("encrypted, as loaded: " + jsonOut.BoolOf("loaded.encrypted"));
    System.out.println("algorithm: " + jsonOut.stringOf("loaded.algorithm"));

    success = pdf.Protection("removeEncryption",json,jsonOut);
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(pdf.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    System.out.println("will be saved encrypted: " + jsonOut.BoolOf("pending.encrypted"));

    success = pdf.WriteFile("qa_output/minutes_unprotected.pdf");
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(pdf.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    //  The result is an ordinary PDF that opens without a password.
    CkPdf reader = new CkPdf();
    CkJsonObject info = new CkJsonObject();
    success = reader.PreLoadCheck("qa_output/minutes_unprotected.pdf",info);
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(reader.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    System.out.println("encrypted: " + info.BoolOf("encrypted"));
    success = reader.LoadFile("qa_output/minutes_unprotected.pdf");
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(reader.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    System.out.println("pages: " + reader.get_NumPages());

    //  Sample output:

    //  encrypted, as loaded: True
    //  algorithm: rc4-128
    //  will be saved encrypted: False
    //  encrypted: False
    //  pages: 1
  }
}