I can open a password-protected PDF on my work laptop, but I need a copy that opens without the password prompt for a colleague; is there a way to turn it into a normal PDF?
I agree, that password prompt is annoying when you just need a clean copy. If you have the password and printing works, open the PDF in Microsoft Edge, choose Print, then pick Microsoft Print to PDF to save a copy. Honestly, if Print is greyed out, there is probably an owner password, so you would need that or the original file. I would test on a copy first.
If you can open it, you already have the password, so this is easy. Open it, then print to PDF using Microsoft Print to PDF (or Save as PDF on a Mac). The new file has no password. In Acrobat you can also go File, Properties, Security tab, set Security Method to No Security and save. Only works if you know the password, obviously.
If you know the password and are allowed to share it, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat, choose Properties > Security, set it to “No Security”, then save a new copy. If that option is blocked, try Print > Save as PDF, but avoid uploading a work document to random online converters.
If you are authorized to remove the password, open it, enter the password, then use Print and choose “Microsoft Print to PDF” to create a new copy. Honestly, this can flatten forms, links, comments, or signatures, so check the result carefully. Avoid doing this if your workplace requires the document to remain protected.
@cameron2002 is spot on about printing to PDF, as I do this all the time with vendor contracts so clients avoid the hassle. Just be careful because that method can somtimes shrink your page margins a little. What device are you usually working on when you do this?
Windows mostly, @rando72836. I keep a backup copy of the original before I touch anything, then compare the new file for shifted margins and flattened form fields. On a Mac, Save as PDF seems to hold the layout a bit closer. Never worth uploading a work document to an online converter.
If you can already open it and know the password, just print it to a PDF printer (like Microsoft Print to PDF, built into Windows). That strips the password and makes a plain copy.