Batch unlock PDFs in a folder

GUI

1. Open Unlock from the left navigation.
2. Enable Batch mode (folder).
3. Set Input folder and Output folder.
4. Optionally enable Include subfolders.
5. Click Save unprotected copy and enter the password when prompted.
6. Use Cancel to stop mid-run if needed.
7. Open output PDFs and confirm they no longer ask for a password.

CLI basics

Same password for every PDF in the folder:

manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --password "your-password" --recursive

Different password per file (path,password CSV, UTF-8 BOM OK):

manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --password-csv passwords.csv --recursive

Interactive entry:

manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --ask-password --recursive

• unlock batch — scan folder PDFs and write unprotected copies under --output-dir. Inputs are never modified.
• --password-csv — one row per pdf-path,password. Skip a header row if the first line is path,password. The path column may be a filename only (e.g. statement.pdf), a path relative to the input folder, or a full path.
• Passwords with commas or quotes: quote CSV values like "pa""ss,word".
• Processing order is natural sort by filename (file2.pdf before file10.pdf). Use --dry-run to preview targets and order.
• Without --recursive, outputs use the same filename in the output folder root. With subfolders, output mirrors the input tree.

Preview before running:

manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --recursive --dry-run

Add --strict for a non-zero exit if any file fails.

Example 1 — Filename only in CSV path column

When PDFs sit directly in the input folder, the first CSV column can be filenames only.

path,password
statement_202403.pdf,abc123
contract_acme.pdf,secret99
invoice.pdf,monthly

manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --password-csv passwords.csv --force

• CSV path values must match real PDF names (case-insensitive on Windows).
• For PDFs in subfolders, use paths relative to the input folder, e.g. docs\locked.pdf (run with --recursive).

Example 2 — Line-by-line password file

When passwords.txt has one password per line, --password-csv cannot map by line number — it matches by path. Build a CSV aligned to ManaPDF’s processing order (natural sort), then run unlock batch.

passwords.txt example (line 1 for statement_202403.pdf, line 2 for contract_acme.pdf, …):

abc123
secret99
monthly

Generate CSV in PowerShell and batch unlock:

$inputDir  = ".\pdfs"
$outputDir = ".\out"
$pwdFile   = ".\passwords.txt"

# Same targets and order as ManaPDF dry-run
$plan = manapdf unlock batch $inputDir --output-dir $outputDir --dry-run --json --quiet | ConvertFrom-Json
$passwords = Get-Content $pwdFile | Where-Object { $_ -match '\S' }

if ($plan.files.Count -ne $passwords.Count) {
  throw "PDF count $($plan.files.Count) does not match password lines $($passwords.Count)"
}

$csvLines = @("path,password")
$root = (Resolve-Path $inputDir).Path
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $plan.files.Count; $i++) {
  $rel  = $plan.files[$i].input.Substring($root.Length).TrimStart('\', '/')
  $pass = $passwords[$i] -replace '"', '""'
  if ($pass -match '[,"]') { $pass = "`"$pass`"" }
  $csvLines += "$rel,$pass"
}
$csvPath = Join-Path $env:TEMP "manapdf-passwords.csv"
$csvLines | Set-Content $csvPath -Encoding utf8

manapdf unlock batch $inputDir --output-dir $outputDir --password-csv $csvPath --recursive --force

• --dry-run --json — no unlock; returns target PDFs and order (same as the real unlock batch run).
• Get-Content lines map top-to-bottom to PDF 1, 2, … Empty lines are skipped.
• If counts differ, the script stops. Preview order with plain --dry-run first.
• Get-ChildItem | Sort-Object Name may disagree with natural sort (e.g. file10.pdf vs file2.pdf). Trust dry-run JSON for order.

Example 3 — Parse password from filename into CSV

If filenames embed passwords (e.g. statement_202403_pw-abc123.pdf), extract them in PowerShell and build path,password CSV before unlock batch.

$inputDir = ".\pdfs"
$csvPath  = ".\passwords.csv"

$rows = Get-ChildItem $inputDir -Filter *.pdf -File | ForEach-Object {
  if ($_.Name -notmatch '_pw-(.+)\.pdf$') {
    Write-Warning "Name does not match password pattern: $($_.Name)"
    return
  }
  $pass = $Matches[1] -replace '"', '""'
  if ($pass -match '[,"]') { $pass = "`"$pass`"" }
  [pscustomobject]@{ Line = "$($_.Name),$pass" }
}

"path,password", ($rows.Line) | Set-Content $csvPath -Encoding utf8
manapdf unlock batch $inputDir --output-dir .\out --password-csv $csvPath --force

• Example uses text after _pw- before .pdf. Adjust the -match pattern for your naming rules.
• Output PDFs keep the original filename (strip password from names separately if needed).
• For subfolders, use Get-ChildItem -Recurse and put relative paths in the CSV path column.

Example 4 — Loop single unlock (no CSV)

For a small set, or when you want to wire passwords to PDFs directly in a loop. Output paths can match batch output names.

$inputDir  = ".\pdfs"
$outputDir = ".\out"
$passwords = Get-Content .\passwords.txt | Where-Object { $_ -match '\S' }

$plan = manapdf unlock batch $inputDir --output-dir $outputDir --dry-run --json --quiet | ConvertFrom-Json
if ($plan.files.Count -ne $passwords.Count) { throw "Count mismatch" }

for ($i = 0; $i -lt $plan.files.Count; $i++) {
  $in  = $plan.files[$i].input
  $out = $plan.files[$i].output
  manapdf unlock $in -o $out --password $passwords[$i] --force
}

• unlock input.pdf -o output.pdf --password — one file. No --ask-password on single unlock.
• Using dry-run output paths matches unlock batch destinations and filenames.
• For many files, example 2 (CSV + unlock batch) is faster and easier to resume.