How to Convert Protected PDF to Word? (3 Proven Ways)

If you want to convert protected PDF to Word, you may come across multiple methods offered by different tools. Whenever selecting a method, you must remember to pick the tool that ensures data integrity and maintains the formatting of your PDF document. In this article, we will be discussing the 3 proven methods to perform this conversion with their detailed step-by-step guides.

Part 1. Convert Locked PDF to Word Via UPDF

UPDF is the prime choice for converting locked PDF documents to Word documents. It is a comprehensive PDF editor tool that comes with every feature you will need when working with PDF documents. It has multiple features, and to convert a PDF to Word, we will use the Export PDF with the encryption features for dealing with password protection.

One of the reasons why we use it for conversion is that it ensures to maintenance of formatting and data integrity after the conversion, which is a major plus point. With UPDF, we can not only convert normal protected PDF documents to Word format, but it can also work on scanned PDF documents with passwords for converting them to Word.

Moreover, if you want to permanently remove security from your PDF documents, UPDF allows you to do that too and make your PDF files completely protection-free. Download UPDF today and try all these features while you follow the steps below to convert locked PDF documents to Word:

1. Open PDF in UPDF with password

Double-click a password-protected PDF document to open it in UPDF. As UPDF opens, it will ask you for the password to that file. To proceed, you must authenticate with the password. If your file has no access password, then it will not ask for it here, but the permission password will be asked later.

2. Convert to Word using the Export PDF feature.

Click "Export PDF" from the right side menu and choose "Word". If your PDF file has a permission password set, you need to authenticate with that password before proceeding to the next part. Once authenticated, you can select the export settings and destination folder on your PC. Now, the locked PDF will be converted into a Word document.

Other Key Features

UPDF is powerful enough to convert locked PDF documents into other file formats. Additionally, it packs several other advanced features that will significantly improve your overall experience of working with PDF documents. Here are some of the best features offered by UPDF:

• UPDF Cloud for securely organizing all your PDF files in a centralized cloud storage
• UPDF AI for explaining, translating, and summarizing the contents of a PDF document
• Sharing PDF via QR, email, and links for easier collaboration
• PDF conversion is supported both ways for multiple file formats
• Work on interactive PDF forms.

Such a wide library of powerful features makes it one of the best tools for working with PDF documents, and that's also the reason why we are recommending it here. So, you can download UPDF and try all these features on your smartphone and computer. For a premium experience, we recommend you purchase UPDF Pro and unlock all the premium features.

Part 2. Convert Locked PDF to Word Doc with Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is known to be among the most powerful and reliable PDF tools, and if you want to convert a locked PDF document into a Word file, Adobe could be the right choice. With its powerful performance, the file conversion is quick, but the interface is outdated, and the process may take some learning curve. The most important thing to consider here is the price.

 You can use this tool with the following steps to convert a locked PDF file into a Word document:

1. Open the PDF file by providing its password.

Press "Ctrl + O" in Adobe Acrobat to open the locked file. Adobe will ask for the password that you need to provide for authentication and confirm it to open the file.

2. Open permission details and reset the security method

Click the "Lock" button present at the extreme left and then click "Permission Details." Now move to the "Security" tab in the document properties window and click on the "Security Method" dropdown menu. You must set it to "No Security" and click "OK" below. Now, the password from the PDF has been removed, and we have completed the first part of this process.

3. Open Tools and select Export PDF

Click "Tools" in the top menu to open Adobe Acrobat Tools Center and click "Export PDF" since we want to convert PDF to Word, and that is done with the Export feature.

4. Export to Microsoft Word

Select Microsoft Word and click the radio button against the Microsoft Word button to which you want to export that PDF. Click the "Export" button and follow through with the on-screen steps, which will include the process to save the converted Word file on your PC. As you finish this step, you will have your password-protected PDF file converted to Word.

Part 3. Convert Password Protected PDF to Word Free Online

Sometimes, you don't have a tool installed on your device, you need a free tool, or you want to perform this conversion on the go. Using an online free tool for the conversion will be the right decision. Since there are many options available, the one that we recommend is iLovePDF. It is a free online tool that comes with a bunch of features, including PDF to word conversion.

The best part is that it works free if your file size stays within the maximum limit. Moreover, being an online tool, it performs exceptionally well regardless of the device that you use it on. Here are the steps to follow on iLovePDF for this conversion:

1. Select PDF to Word in iLovePDF

Head to the iLovePDF website, and on its home screen, you will find the "PDF to Word" feature. You need to click it. Now, upload a PDF file from your computer storage or cloud storage to iLovePDF.

2. Convert to Word

As the file completes uploading, you will move to a new screen showing the "Convert to Word" button. Click this button to initiate the conversion.

3. Authenticate with password

Since we are working with a password-protected PDF file, iLovePDF will ask for its password to convert the file into Word. Provide the correct password and click "Send". Now iLovePDF will authenticate your file, convert it to Word and initiate automatic download on your PC. If the download does not start automatically, you may click the "download" button to start it manually.

Final Words

Sometimes, it is crucial to convert protected PDF to Word for multiple reasons. You may want in-depth editing access to that document, or you may need to convert it into text without losing the formatting of your document. For all such use cases, UPDF makes the best choice since the conversion is effortless and quick here without causing any changes to the content present in your documents.

While there are other options available, UPDF provides the best features, pricing, performance, and overall experience. So, you can download UPDF on your PC or Mac to try this conversion for free.