Blog

What is the Aadhaar PDF password?

The Aadhaar PDF password is the first four letters of your name in capital letters, followed by your year of birth. UIDAI’s own example is SURESH KUMAR, born in 1990, whose e-Aadhaar opens with SURE1990. If yours will not open, the cause is usually lowercase letters, a full date of birth instead of the year, or a name that is short or starts with an initial. To keep a copy that opens without the password, use RealScaner Unlock PDF, which works in your browser and never uploads the file.

The rule and examples below come from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar. Each source is linked at the end. Facts are current as of October 23, 2026.

What is the e-Aadhaar password format?

UIDAI’s FAQ on Aadhaar online services, last updated October 16, 2026, gives the rule in one line: the password “is a combination of the first 4 letters of name in CAPITAL and the year of birth (YYYY).” It then lists four examples, all with 1990 as the year of birth:

• SURESH KUMAR: SURE1990
• SAI KUMAR: SAIK1990
• P. KUMAR: P.KU1990
• RIA: RIA1990

Those four examples settle the cases that trip people up. A space does not count, so SAI KUMAR runs on into the surname to reach four letters. A dot after an initial does count, so P. KUMAR becomes P.KU. A name with fewer than four letters is used as it is, so RIA stays RIA. The year is always four digits, never the full date of birth.

How do I work out my own Aadhaar password?

1. Write your name exactly as it is spelled on your Aadhaar, not the way you usually sign it.
2. Remove the spaces. Keep any dot that follows an initial.
3. Take the first four characters. If the name is shorter than that, take all of it.
4. Make every letter a capital.
5. Add your year of birth as four digits, such as 1990.

Type the result into the password box that appears when you open the file. PDF passwords are case sensitive, so sure1990 fails where SURE1990 works.

Why is my Aadhaar PDF password not working?

Work through this list in order. Most failures are one of the first three.

• Lowercase letters. UIDAI’s rule says CAPITAL. On a phone, turn on caps lock before you type. If the password box has a show-password button, use it to check what you typed.
• The full date of birth. The rule uses only the year: 1990, not 01011990 or 01/01/1990.
• Spaces and dots. Skip the space between words. Keep a dot after an initial, as in P.KU1990.
• A short first name. If your first name has two or three letters, the next characters come from the following word, as in SAIK1990.
• Spelling. Use the spelling on your Aadhaar, even if your school certificate or bank account spells your name another way.
• Other marks in the name. UIDAI’s examples only show a dot. If your name has an apostrophe or hyphen within the first four characters, try it with the mark and then without.
• A very old download. An archived copy of UIDAI’s e-Aadhaar download portal from October 16, 2016 says, “Please use your postal code as password to open the E-Aadhaar pdf file.” If your file dates from that period, try the PIN code of the address on your Aadhaar. By August 2022, UIDAI’s FAQ already showed today’s name and birth year rule. If neither works, download a fresh copy.
• The wrong file. Bank statements, payslips, and bills use their own password formats, set by whoever sent them. An e-PAN uses your date of birth instead, as explained in what is the PAN card PDF password. The Aadhaar rule only opens e-Aadhaar. The rules other issuers publish are listed in why is my PDF password protected, and demat and mutual fund statements in what is the CAS statement password.

If the file will not open at all, or never shows a password box, UIDAI’s FAQ says you need the latest version of Adobe Reader to view e-Aadhaar. Try opening it there.

How do I download e-Aadhaar again?

UIDAI says you can download e-Aadhaar from its myAadhaar portal or from the Aadhaar app on Android or iPhone. Its FAQ lists your Aadhaar number, enrolment number, and Virtual ID (VID) among the ways to request it. A fresh download is the quickest fix when an old file refuses every password you try.

Does masked Aadhaar or the Aadhaar app use a different password?

Masked Aadhaar is an option that UIDAI offers only in e-Aadhaar. It hides the first 8 digits of the Aadhaar number and shows the last 4. UIDAI publishes one password rule for e-Aadhaar and does not list a separate one for the masked version, so start with the same name and birth year password.

The Aadhaar app is a different lock. UIDAI says that when you register on the app you set a 6-digit PIN to secure access to it. That PIN opens the app, not the PDF. Typing it into the e-Aadhaar password box will not work.

How do I remove the password from an Aadhaar PDF?

You need the password first. Adobe puts it plainly: “You can only remove a password from a PDF if you know the current password.” Once you have it, removing it saves a second copy that opens without a password. That helps when a form or a PDF tool will not take a protected file. RealScaner’s own Compress PDF, Merge PDF, and Organize PDF then work on the unlocked copy.

With RealScaner Unlock PDF

1. Open Unlock PDF on your phone or computer and choose the e-Aadhaar PDF.
2. The tool checks the file’s protection and asks for a password only if one is needed.
3. Type your Aadhaar password, such as SURE1990. Use the eye button to check it.
4. Press Unlock PDF. If the password is wrong, the tool says so and asks you to check capital letters, spaces, and the date format, then try again.
5. When the result reads “Checked: the copy opens without a password,” press Download PDF.

The copy keeps the same text, images, and layout, because the file is decrypted rather than turned into pictures. It is saved as a new file with “unlocked” in the name, and your original file is not changed. From the result screen you can go straight to compressing it, organizing its pages, or merging it with other PDFs. If a form caps the upload size, see how to compress a PDF to 200KB.

With Adobe Acrobat

Adobe’s step-by-step guide to removing a PDF password begins, “Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro on Windows or Mac.” Its help page, updated October 22, 2026, gives these steps: select All tools > Protect a PDF, choose Set security properties under Advanced Properties, open the Security tab, select Change Settings, deselect Require a password to open the document, type the permissions password if prompted, select OK twice, and save the PDF. UIDAI’s FAQ gives only the open password, so if Acrobat asks for a separate permissions password, this route will not work for you.

Does removing the password break the e-Aadhaar signature?

Yes, on the unlocked copy. UIDAI describes e-Aadhaar as “a password protected electronic copy of Aadhaar, digitally signed by UIDAI.” Its circular of April 28, 2017 says the downloaded e-Aadhaar is “a digitally signed document by UIDAI as per IT Act, 2000” and that it is as valid a proof of identity as the printed Aadhaar letter.

A PDF digital signature is tied to the exact bytes of the file. The PDF standard, ISO 32000-1, says a signature’s ByteRange describes “the exact byte range for the digest calculation.” Adobe’s technical note on PDF signatures adds that “any attempt to alter the document by modifying the file (such as signing it again) will invalidate the existing digital signature.” Removing the password rewrites the file, so the unlocked copy can no longer show that it came from UIDAI unchanged. When RealScaner Unlock PDF finds a signature in the file, it shows a warning next to the download button.

Keep the original e-Aadhaar exactly as you downloaded it. UIDAI recommends opening it in the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader on Windows or macOS to validate the signature. If an office asks for your e-Aadhaar file, send the original. Use the unlocked copy only where a form or tool cannot take a password-protected PDF.

Is it safe to unlock an Aadhaar PDF online?

An upload site that unlocks PDFs receives two things at once: your e-Aadhaar, which UIDAI says carries your name, address, gender, photo, and date of birth, and the password that opens it. Adobe’s own advice on unlocking is to “avoid uploading any documents containing private, financial, or legal information unless you’re sure the site is secure and trustworthy.”

RealScaner Unlock PDF does the work inside the browser tab. It runs qpdf, an open-source PDF program, compiled to WebAssembly in a separate worker. The file and the password are never sent to a server. The password is used once, cleared from the field, and never stored or logged. If you accept analytics in the consent banner, the tool records only coarse details such as a file size range, never the file name, its contents, or the password. For more on what stays local, read what stays on your device with browser document tools, or how upload sites compare in is iLovePDF safe.

Sharing is a separate choice. If the service accepts it, a masked e-Aadhaar shows only the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar number.

What RealScaner Unlock PDF does

• It removes the password once you type it. Work yours out from the rule above, or download a fresh copy from UIDAI.
• It runs on your device, so the file and the password are never uploaded.
• It is an independent tool that works on the e-Aadhaar you already downloaded from UIDAI.
• It warns you when the file carries the UIDAI digital signature, so you keep the original for anyone who checks it.
• It recognizes certificate and custom security, tells you when a file uses it, and suggests opening the file in the app that issued it.
• It saves a new copy and leaves your original untouched.

Sources

• Aadhaar Online Services: Frequently Asked Questions, UIDAI, updated October 16, 2026
• Validity of downloaded Aadhaar (e-Aadhaar) as Proof of identity, UIDAI circular, April 28, 2017
• e-Aadhaar download portal, UIDAI, archived by the Internet Archive on October 16, 2016
• What Is the Password of e-Aadhaar?, UIDAI, archived by the Internet Archive on August 11, 2022
• Remove passwords from PDFs, Adobe Help, updated October 22, 2026
• How to remove password from PDF, Adobe, accessed October 23, 2026
• Digital Signatures in a PDF, Adobe, 2012
• Document management, Portable document format, Part 1: PDF 1.7 (ISO 32000-1:2008), Adobe copy of the ISO standard, 2008
• What is qpdf?, qpdf 12.4.2 documentation, accessed October 23, 2026

Key takeaways

• UIDAI’s rule: the e-Aadhaar password is the first four letters of your name in capitals plus your year of birth, so SURESH KUMAR born in 1990 uses SURE1990.
• Spaces are skipped, a dot after an initial counts, and short names are used in full: SAIK1990, P.KU1990, and RIA1990 in UIDAI’s examples.
• An archived October 2016 copy of UIDAI’s e-Aadhaar portal told people to use their postal code, so a very old download may need the PIN code instead.
• e-Aadhaar is digitally signed by UIDAI. Removing the password rewrites the file, so the signature on the unlocked copy no longer validates.
• RealScaner Unlock PDF removes the password in your browser once you type it, and it never uploads the file.

Common questions

What is the password to open an Aadhaar PDF?

The first four letters of your name in capital letters, followed by your year of birth in four digits. In UIDAI’s own example, SURESH KUMAR, born in 1990, opens his e-Aadhaar with SURE1990.

Why is my Aadhaar PDF password not working?

Check that every letter is a capital, that you typed only the four-digit birth year and not the full date, that you skipped spaces but kept any dot after an initial, and that you used the spelling on your Aadhaar. A file downloaded around 2016 may need your postal PIN code instead, because UIDAI’s e-Aadhaar portal used that rule then.

What if my first name has fewer than four letters?

Keep counting into the next word. UIDAI’s example SAI KUMAR gives SAIK1990. If your whole name has fewer than four letters, use all of it: RIA, born in 1990, gives RIA1990.

Is the masked Aadhaar password different?

UIDAI publishes one password rule for e-Aadhaar and does not list a separate one for the masked version. Masked Aadhaar is an e-Aadhaar option that hides the first 8 digits of your Aadhaar number and shows only the last 4.

Is the e-Aadhaar password the same as my Aadhaar app PIN?

No. UIDAI says you set a 6-digit PIN when you register on the Aadhaar app, and that PIN secures access to the app. The e-Aadhaar PDF uses the name and birth year password.

Can I remove the password from my Aadhaar PDF?

Yes. RealScaner Unlock PDF removes the password once you enter it and saves an unlocked copy in your browser, without uploading the file or the password. The copy’s UIDAI digital signature no longer validates, so keep the original e-Aadhaar for anyone who checks it.

Published October 23, 2026. Updated October 23, 2026.

Keep reading

• How to compress a PDF to 200KB, 100KB, or 1MB

  Use the Smaller preset, cut extra pages, and check the real size. Why some PDFs can't reach 100KB, and what to do.

• Is iLovePDF safe for sensitive documents?

  iLovePDF says it is GDPR and ISO 27001 compliant and deletes files in 2 hours. When to use an on-device tool.

• What is the PAN card PDF password?

  Your date of birth as eight digits, DDMMYYYY. Why it fails, what company PANs use, and how to save an unlocked copy.

Tools: scanner · all tools · all posts · guides