How to remove the password from your Aadhaar PDF
The e-Aadhaar you download from UIDAI is a password-protected PDF. That is deliberate, and for storing the file it is a good thing. It becomes a nuisance the moment something else has to open it: a form upload that rejects encrypted PDFs, a print shop, or an office clerk who just needs to see the page.
This guide covers what the password is, according to UIDAI, and how to save an unlocked copy of your own file entirely on the phone — which matters more here than for any other document, because the alternative is handing your Aadhaar to a website.
What the e-Aadhaar password actually is
UIDAI states the rule plainly: the password is the first four letters of your name in CAPITALS followed by your year of birth in four digits. Its own worked examples, read from uidai.gov.in on 2 September 2026, are the fastest way to see how the edge cases behave.
Note what the examples show. A space between names is skipped over, so SAI KUMAR runs on into the K of KUMAR. A full stop is not skipped — it counts as one of the four characters. And a name shorter than four letters simply uses the letters it has.
- SURESH KUMAR, born 1990 → SURE1990
- SAI KUMAR, born 1990 → SAIK1990
- P. KUMAR, born 1990 → P.KU1990
- RIA, born 1990 → RIA1990
Why unlock your own copy, and why keep the original
An unlocked copy is easier to live with. Upload forms that reject encrypted PDFs will take it, a print shop can open it without you reciting your birth year across a counter, and a viewer app that has no password box will simply show it.
Keep the original download regardless. UIDAI describes e-Aadhaar as a password-protected copy that is digitally signed by UIDAI, and unlocking rewrites the file: the security is stripped and the document is saved out again under a new name. Treat the original as the authoritative copy for anything that may check that signature, and treat the unlocked one as a convenience copy.
One more thing worth knowing before you send any copy anywhere: UIDAI also offers a masked Aadhaar, which replaces the first eight digits of the number with x characters and leaves only the last four visible. If the recipient only needs to confirm identity rather than record the full number, the masked download is the better file to hand over in the first place.
Why an online unlocker is the wrong tool for this file
A web "unlock PDF" service works by receiving your file. To strip the password it must decrypt the PDF on its server, which means your Aadhaar number, your photograph, your address and your date of birth all land on a machine you do not control, along with the password you typed in to open it. Whatever the retention policy says, you have made a copy you cannot delete.
Doing it on the phone changes what is shared: nothing. ScanCrypt decrypts and re-saves the PDF locally with a bundled PDF library, so the tool works with the phone in airplane mode and the file never leaves the device.
- No upload, so no server copy of your Aadhaar and no server copy of the password.
- Works offline, which is also the easiest way to confirm nothing is being sent.
- The unlocked copy stays in ScanCrypt until you choose to share it.
How to do it in ScanCrypt
- Get the e-Aadhaar PDF into ScanCrypt. Import the file you downloaded from UIDAI so it appears in your document list. Unlock PDF works on a file in the library.
- Open Tools and tap Unlock PDF. The tool is described in the app as "Remove PDF password protection". It is a Pro tool, so a free account will be shown the upgrade screen here instead.
- Pick the e-Aadhaar PDF. Only PDFs are listed for this tool.
- Type the password. First four letters of your name in capitals, then your year of birth — SURE1990 for Suresh Kumar born in 1990. There is an eye icon to reveal what you have typed, which is worth using before you tap the button.
- Tap UNLOCK. A wrong password is reported as "Wrong password or unable to unlock" and nothing is written. Correct, and you get a confirmation that the PDF was unlocked.
- Find the new file. The unlocked copy is saved beside the original with _unlocked added to its name. The password-protected download you started from is not modified.
Questions
Does my Aadhaar leave my phone?
No. The PDF is decrypted and re-saved by a PDF library running inside the app, on the device. There is no upload step, and the tool works with the phone offline.
The password is rejected — what is wrong?
Usually one of three things. The letters must be capitals. The year must be all four digits, so 1990 rather than 90. And the four characters come off the name as UIDAI prints it, which means a full stop counts as a character (P. KUMAR gives P.KU1990) while a space does not (SAI KUMAR gives SAIK1990). If your name is shorter than four letters, use the letters it has: RIA born in 1990 gives RIA1990.
Is Unlock PDF free?
No. Unlock PDF is a Pro tool. Scanning, and most everyday PDF work such as compressing, merging and splitting, is on the free tier.
Can I unlock a PDF if I do not know the password?
No. The tool decrypts the file using the password you supply; it does not guess or bypass anything. Without the password there is nothing it can do.