The password is for opening the file, not for emailing it to a website
Banks still ship statements as user-password PDFs. Upload farms that “remove PDF password” are a statement leak with extra steps. This page opens the file with pdf.js in the tab, then writes a new unencrypted PDF by photographing each page. That is an honest limitation: you get a file you can attach to an expense tool that hates encryption. You do not get a perfect clone of the original content stream.
Worked example: HDFC statement, password is date of birth
Drop the PDF. Type the password the bank printed (often DDMMYYYY). Unlock. If it rejects, you typed the net-banking PIN. If it opens, download and open page 1. Numbers should be readable. They will not be copy-pasteable. For Excel, skip this download and use bank statement → Excel with the same password so the text layer is parsed.
Worked example: file already opens
Then it is not user-encrypted. Owner-password “restrictions” are theatre in most browsers. This page has nothing to strip.
Worked example: 80-page scanned board pack
Each page becomes a JPEG inside a new PDF. The tab may die on a phone. Split first with merge & split after you unlock a slice on a laptop.
Questions
Does the PDF get uploaded?
No. Bytes stay in this tab. pdf.js and pdf-lib still load from file hosts so the tool can run.
User vs owner password?
Enter the password that opens the file in a reader (user password). A permissions/owner password that only blocks printing is a different object — if the file already opens, you did not need this page.
Why is text no longer selectable?
This tab cannot emit a decrypted original bitstream. It draws each page and writes a new PDF. That is how the password dies. For statements you need as rows, use bank statement → Excel with the password instead of unlocking first.
Wrong password?
pdf.js rejects it. Try the password printed on the statement, not your net-banking login, unless they are actually the same string.
Will a digital signature survive?
No. A rebuild is a new document.
Phone tab died?
Rasterising every page at 2× is memory-heavy. Use a laptop for long scans.