You double-click a PDF and your reader says the file is damaged. Before you panic, try rebuilding it with Repair PDF.

Why do PDFs get damaged?

  • A download or email attachment was cut off before it finished.
  • The program that created the file crashed while saving.
  • A storage device or file transfer introduced errors.
  • The file was edited by software that wrote it incorrectly.

How the repair works

A PDF is built from many small parts, and a small error in the wrong place can make the whole file unreadable. The tool opens the file in a forgiving way, copies each page that can still be read into a fresh document and saves it. If a page is truly broken, it cannot be saved, and you are told how many pages were rebuilt.

Steps

  1. Open Repair PDF and add the damaged file.
  2. Press Repair PDF.
  3. Download the new file and scroll through it to confirm the pages you need are there.

If repair does not work

  • Download the file again or ask the sender for a new copy.
  • Open it in another PDF reader or browser, because one program may be stricter than another.
  • Export it again from the original program if you made the file yourself.

Is it really damaged, or just locked?

A file that asks for a password is not corrupted. Repair cannot open it. If it opens but blocks printing or copying, Unlock PDF is the tool for files you own. To inspect a file that does open, PDF Info shows its page count and properties.

After the fix

A rebuilt file is often smaller or tidier. If it is still large, run Compress PDF.