Which format is easiest to recover?

Restriction-only PDFs (no open password) and files with weaker legacy encryption. Strong AES formats depend on your hints.

Can strong encryption always be broken?

No — that’s the point of it. A long random password with no hints may be unrecoverable, and we’ll tell you honestly.

File encryption types explained

Different file formats protect themselves in different ways. Knowing which is which helps set realistic expectations for recovering a forgotten password.

Here’s a simple tour of the common formats.

Recover your file’s password