US
Why locked statements usually break converters
An encrypted PDF gives up nothing until it's decrypted — a converter that can't handle the password simply sees an unreadable file and fails, which is why most tools tell you to remove the password yourself first. That workaround has a cost: re-saving or printing-to-PDF to strip encryption often flattens the text layer into an image, so a statement that would have extracted perfectly now has to be read by OCR.
Here the decryption happens where the file already is — in your browser. The password unlocks the document locally, the original text layer stays intact, and only the readable page content is processed. Nothing about the password is uploaded, stored or logged, which is the part that matters when the password is built from your date of birth, PAN or customer ID.
How to convert a password-protected statement
- Upload the locked PDF exactly as your bank sent it — there's no need to remove the password or re-save the file first.
- When the password box appears, type the password from your bank's covering email or SMS. It's used to unlock the file inside your browser and is never transmitted to us.
- The unlocked pages are read — digital text or OCR for scans — and every transaction is pulled into dated rows.
- The reconciliation check runs: opening balance plus money in minus money out must equal the printed closing balance.
- Download the result as Excel, CSV, JSON, QBO, OFX, QIF or Tally XML.
Where the password comes from, by region
Banks set these formats themselves and change them from time to time, so treat the notes below as orientation rather than a lookup table — the email or SMS that delivered your statement always states the real format.
India
SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak, PNB, IndusInd, IDFC First, Canara, Bank of Baroda
Almost every Indian e-statement arrives locked. The password is usually built from personal details the bank already holds — some mix of your date of birth, customer ID, PAN or the first letters of your name, often in lower case with no spaces. The exact combination is spelled out in the email that carried the PDF.
United Kingdom & Ireland
Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, AIB, Bank of Ireland
Statements downloaded from online banking are normally unlocked. Locked files usually turn up when a statement was emailed to you or issued for a mortgage or loan application — the covering email states the password.
Australia & New Zealand
CommBank, Westpac, NAB, ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank
Rare on self-service downloads, but emailed statements and broker-issued packs are sometimes protected. Check the message the PDF arrived with.
United States
Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi
Uncommon. Where a US statement is locked it is normally a file forwarded by an accountant or lender rather than one you downloaded yourself.
We can't crack or recover a password
This unlocks a statement you already have the password for — it isn't a password-removal or password-guessing tool. If you don't have the password, download a fresh copy from your online banking instead.
Checked before you download
Unlocking is only the first half. Every conversion then runs a reconciliation check that ties the extracted transactions back to the statement's running balance — opening balance plus credits minus debits against the closing figure the bank printed. A statement that doesn't reconcile is flagged rather than quietly exported, so the numbers you hand to a client or a lender actually tie out.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to remove the password before uploading?expand_more
No. Upload the locked PDF exactly as the bank sent it. You'll be asked for the password and the file is unlocked in your browser. Stripping the password in Acrobat or Preview first is an extra step that isn't needed — and re-saving a PDF that way sometimes rasterises the text, which makes extraction harder, not easier.
Is my statement password sent to your servers?expand_more
No. The unlock happens client-side in your browser: the password decrypts the PDF locally and only the unlocked page content is processed. The password itself never leaves your device and is never stored or logged.
I don't know the password — what now?expand_more
The password is set by your bank, not by us, so we can't recover or bypass it. Look at the email or SMS the statement arrived with, which nearly always states the format. Failing that, log into your online banking and download a fresh copy — self-service downloads are usually unlocked.
Does this work on scanned or photographed statements that are also locked?expand_more
Yes. Once the PDF is unlocked, image-only pages are read with OCR and then run through the same reconciliation check as a digital statement.
Can I convert a locked statement to QBO, OFX or Tally XML as well as Excel?expand_more
Yes. The password only affects getting into the file. Once it's open you can export to Excel (.xlsx), CSV, JSON, QBO and OFX for QuickBooks and Quicken, QIF, or Tally XML for Tally Prime.
What happens to the file afterwards?expand_more
Files are encrypted in transit, deleted after processing, and never used to train AI. Nothing is retained once your download is ready.
Locked statements are most common in India, where e-statements are protected by default — see the India guides for bank-by-bank walkthroughs, or read more about how your files are handled.