How to repair a PDF file online
To repair corrupted pdf file online:
- Open page https://pdf.recoverytoolbox.com/online/ in any browser.
- Press the "Select file" button and choose a damaged pdf file.
- Enter your email address.
- Press the "Continue" button.
- Wait for the corrupted file to be analyzed and fixed.
- Preview of repaired data. Checking the completeness of file recovery.
- Download the repaired PDF file.
Remember:
- No online service guarantees 100% recovery, especially for severely corrupted files.
- It is necessary to accurately check the completeness of PDF data recovery in step 6.
The data recovered from corrupted PDF documents will be saved by the service as a new Adobe Acrobat/PDF Reader file with a PDF extension.
You can now recover PDF documents of any size and version on any device with any browser.
Facing a garbled PDF is frustrating, especially when important information hangs in the balance. But fear not! Recovering corrupted PDFs online is often possible, even without technical expertise. This guide breaks down the process, explains common causes, and equips you with valuable tips to bring your document back to life.
Advantages of the PDF Recovery Online service over other free and paid solutions:
- Cross-platform: There is an online service for all platforms (Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows).
- Repair pdf online on any device: phone, tablet, computer.
- Fix pdf online of all versions, unlike most competitors that do not recover the latest versions of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader documents.
- Uses stable and reliable PDF recovery methods.
- Contains several fixes for specific logical errors in Adobe documents.
- Uses smart algorithms for PDF data recognition.
- Saves recovered data into a new PDF file.
- The price for the online version is only $10 per file. This is several times cheaper than any competitor. Competitor pricing starts at $30 per file (OfficeRecovery).
- A free online test of the ability to fix an Adobe document is available for all devices here.
- The repair tool is based on a powerful data analysis engine. The Online PDF Repair service can repair damaged pdfs online that have been created by third-party applications.
Technical Limitations and Notes:
- This online service does not recover password-protected PDF files.
- This online service does not recover encrypted Adobe Acrobat documents.
- No online PDF service guarantees 100% recovery, especially for severely corrupted files.
Your Online PDF Repair Service: Bringing Your PDF Back to Life
Let's explore your PDF repair variants:
- Free Online Services and tools: Numerous online services offer free PDF repair options, often with straightforward interfaces. Upload your damaged document, follow the instructions, and hope for the best (remember, free options might have limitations).
- Premium Online Services: If free options fail or your file requires special attention, paid online services with more advanced features and higher success rates are available.
- Desktop Software: While offering more control, desktop software requires installation and sometimes a purchase. Consider the pros and cons before taking this route.
Breathe Easy, Your PDF Can Be Saved!
With the right approach and knowledge, your corrupted PDF isn't a death sentence. By understanding the causes, utilizing online PDF repair tools, and following these tips, you can often successfully recover your valuable information. Remember, prevention is key – regular backups and cautious handling of PDFs go a long way in avoiding future headaches. So, next time a corrupted PDF throws a tantrum, take a deep breath, and remember – there's a good chance you can fix it!
Additional Tips for Success of PDF Online Repair:
- Act Quickly: The sooner you attempt repair, the higher the chances of success.
- Choose the Right Service: Consider factors like file size, severity of corruption, budget, and features before selecting a service.
- Read Reviews: Don't hesitate to research user reviews and expert opinions before committing to a service.
- Backup Often: Regularly backing up important PDFs protects you from future corruption woes.
How to Repair PDF Files Online or Offline
If you need to repair a PDF file offline on your computer using Windows software, the following method allows you to do so very quickly and efficiently. If the error cannot display pdf invalid format Android suddenly appears on your PC or smartphone, you do not need to spend a lot of time trying to figure out why are your PDF files not opening - just upload the troublesome PDF file on the main page of the online service to fix the PDF file.
The PDF recovery tool only works on Windows based computers and the following steps are required to fix a damaged PDF document:
- Download the software Recovery Toolbox for PDF: https://pdf.recoverytoolbox.com/download/RecoveryToolboxForPDFInstall.exe.
- Install Recovery Toolbox for PDF on your PC.
- Purchase and activate the license for Recovery Toolbox for PDF.
- Select the damaged document on the first working page of the PDF fixer.
- Start the analysis of why the damaged PDF file won’t open with Adobe Reader / Adobe Acrobat by clicking Next.
- Select the version of the PDF document in which the new Adobe document with the recovered data will be saved.
- Choose whether you would like to compress data in the recovered PDF document.
- Choose the name to save the recovered document.
- Complete saving and repairing the PDF’s data to a new document.
A hardware, software, or other PDF error can result in losing a large amount of previous work. If you can’t open your PDF file by regular means, the Recovery Toolbox for PDF and/or PDF repair online service may be able recover part or all of the document. It’s important that you test the service or utility (free of charge) prior to attempting to recover the document, as neither the service nor the utility guarantees 100% recovery of the original document.
If something was found in the source file, you can then pay for the service or buy the Recovery Toolbox for PDF license. Recovery Toolbox for PDF is distributed under shareware license Try before buy. A demo version of Recovery Toolbox for PDF is always available on the website for free download and use.
How to Open a Corrupted PDF File
In case of the PDF file not opening in your mobile or on your computer, you first need to repair the PDF online or repair the corrupted PDF file on a Windows PC. After that, you can use the recovered file on your phone, tablet, or computer. It is worth noting that not all data may be fully recovered or recovered properly. There is a possibility that some of the data may be unreadable or lost completely. If you have an unreadable PDF file, you can restore your PDF online with the PDF repair service in fewer steps than with the Recovery Toolbox for PDF.
It’s easy and straightforward – there is no need to worry about searching "Why my PDF file is not opening" - just recover the document and continue your work. It only takes 4 steps using opening.pdf file online compared to 12 for opening pdf files online when using Recovery Toolbox for PDF.
If you cannot open Your PDF file:
- Open the page https://pdf.recoverytoolbox.com/online/ in any browser and on any device (9 languages supported).
- Select a corrupt PDF file.
- Enter your email address – the email is used to send you a notification about the result of the recovery in case the browser closes or the online connection is interrupted.
- Click Next Step.
- Your document with the invalid format PDF will then be uploaded to the service and the PDF recovery process online will analyze the contents of the Adobe Acrobat document. All correct information from the Adobe Acrobat document will be saved to a new file. The online service does not fix corrupt PDF files, but creates a copy extracting the maximum data from the document if the PDF is in a valid format.
- See what the service was able to recover when a PDF cannot be opened. On the preview page, information is available on how many and which objects were restored and saved. It is also possible to view a gallery of screenshots if the recovered PDF file won’t open.
- Complete the payment for the online service of PDF file recovery.
- Download the recovered Adobe Acrobat document and open it in Adobe Reader or another PDF reader.
Why is a PDF not opening in my phone?
All phones already have built-in free programs for reading and viewing PDF documents. You can also download and install Adobe Reader from their site for free. The most common reason for the file not opening is that the document is damaged.
In this case, error messages are additionally displayed that reveal the source of the PDF problem with the file, for example:
- The pdf is of invalid format - Android
- There was an error opening this document; the file is damaged and could not be repaired
- An incorrect structure was found in the PDF file
- Adobe - There was a problem reading this document (14)
- It may be damaged or use a file format that the preview doesn’t recognize
- The PDF file is corrupted and cannot be opened
- Adobe Reader cannot open the file because it is not supported or damaged
- The PDF file is damaged and could not be repaired
- Incorrect structure in the PDF
- There was a problem reading this document (15)
- Incorrect structure found in the PDF file
- Invalid or corrupted PDF file
- The document could not be saved; there was a problem reading this document (8)
- There was a problem reading this document (16)
- Adobe - Problem reading document (15)
- There was an error opening this document; this file cannot be found
- Adobe Acrobat - There was an error opening this document
- There was an error processing a page; there was a problem reading this document
- It may be damaged or use a file format that the preview doesn't recognize
- Adobe Acrobat -There was a problem reading this document (14)
- The document could not be saved; there was a problem reading this document (8)
- Could not save PDF because of a program error
- Cannot display PDF - invalid format
How to Repair a Damaged PDF File
My PDF files won’t open and I cannot open PDFs. Why is my PDF not opening?
The official Adobe website can do little to help in cases where the user can’t open a PDF file. They typically recommend installing the latest version of Adobe Reader or to use Adobe Illustrator. However, they do not help to open the document itself in the case of the PDF not working, or with an invalid PDF format that cannot be opened by standard means. Adobe does also not offer users any special free PDF repair software and does not offer to repair corrupt PDF files online for free. PDF recovery software, including the free PDF repair tool, are offered by many other companies other than Adobe.
How to Choose the Best PDF Repair Tool
The main criterion for this type of service is the quality of the PDF file repair service. It can be difficult or overwhelming to figure out which program recovers PDF documents most effectively. You need to try all available programs and/or online services to find out which of them can fix the most errors in documents. This is possible since almost all programs and especially online services have free demo versions. Just upload whichever PDF does not open and then download the demo results.
Next, choose the best service or tool, pay for the service, or buy a license to completely fix the corrupted PDF file. Next, you can repair the .pdf files you need with the program you are using for the best guarantee of recovery quality. You don’t need to ask yourself ‘Why is my PDF file is not opening?’. The file structure is very complex, and a couple of incorrect bytes can make an entire document of thousands of pages unreadable. There are’ errors correction pdf issues’ files in the process of restoring Adobe documents. This further complicates the process of recovering PDF files.
How to Fix a Damaged PDF File Online
The process of fixing corrupt PDF documents does not consist of searching for reasons for a PDF not opening in a mobile phone or for why you cannot open PDF files in Windows 11. If the PDF is corrupted, just use the special Adobe repair program or the online PDF file recovery service. These tools and services operate on the principle of searching for blocks of data in a structure close to the Postscript language and then reconstructing these blocks into a normal document.
In addition to reconstructing the document, tools and services can make changes to some document parameters if they do not allow the document to be displayed normally. For example, if the page sizes do not match the normal values or if the orientation of the pages is not set or incorrect.
As a result, the process of attempting to fix broken PDF documents is a procedure of recreating a document from scratch - based on data blocks found in an incorrect file - into a new document with a structure that complies with the Adobe and Postscript standards.
How to Recover a PDF File on a Mac
The procedure for PDF repair on Mac, iOS and Android does not differ from Windows if you use an online repair pdf file service. On macOS, iOS and Android, you only need a modern browser and an Internet connection. You can upload a PDF file of any size to the service and download the recovered file in a few minutes without being tied to the device, since the standard of PDF documents is universal.
How to Fix a Damaged PDF File Online
The online service provides a universal answer to many users’ questions and messages regarding technical support; for example, the following messages:
- My pdf does not open.
- Why doesn't my PDF open on mobile?
- What if the PDF does not open?
- Why don't my PDFs open?
Overview of programs and online services for recovering damaged PDF documents Adobe Acrobat: practical analysis of effectiveness
Recovery Toolbox conducts a large-scale regular study every quarter to determine the actual effectiveness of various programs and services designed to recover damaged PDF documents created in Adobe Acrobat and other programs. The study is conducted to improve the quality of data recovery using the online service and the Recovery Toolbox for PDF program. This is not an artificial laboratory test with specially generated damage to ordinary documents, but a test based on real user files uploaded to a special cloud service for recovering PDF documents: https://pdf.recoverytoolbox.com/online/
The test is regularly performed on more than 1,000 PDF documents uploaded by real users from around the world. Users upload PDF documents of different formats and versions, and the damage to the files is always varied and unpredictable, which makes the recovery task comprehensive and complete.
PDF document recovery testing methodology
The selection of PDF files did not go through any filtering or sorting: the testers worked with everything that was uploaded by users. This means that the sample included files with varying degrees of damage, and all files were of different formats, versions, and sizes. The test also included password-protected files with different levels of protection.
Both special utilities and online recovery services were used in the test. These included:
- Recovery Toolbox for PDF https://pdf.recoverytoolbox.com/
- Recovery Toolbox online service https://pdf.recoverytoolbox.com/online/
- PDF Repair Kit + OnlineFile.Repair https://www.onlinefile.repair/pdf
- OnlineFileRepair.com https://onlinefilerepair.com/pdf
- SecureRecovery® for PDF
- DataNumen PDF Repair
- ilovepdf.com service
- pdf2go.com service
- sejda.com service
- pdf4me.com service
Each tool was tested on the same set of files. This made it possible to objectively compare which of the utilities was able to recover more data, preserve the document structure, and correctly restore text, graphics, forms, and other PDF elements.
What was evaluated during the recovery process:
- Was it possible to open the file after recovery?
- Was the document structure preserved?
- How correctly were text and graphic elements recovered?
- Were there any artifacts, damaged areas, or distortions?
Results of the comparative test of PDF document recovery
Based on the data obtained, a comparative table was compiled, indicating how successfully each tool coped with the task at hand. The results allow us to conclude on the advisability of using a particular program or online service depending on the degree of damage to the PDF file and its complexity.
| Service or program | % of successfully recovered PDF files | Price for recovering 1 file | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online service Recovery Toolbox https://pdf.recoverytoolbox.com/online/ | ~43% | $10 per 1 GB | Universal tool for all devices and operating systems. |
| Recovery Toolbox for PDF | ~41% | $25 | Only applicable for Windows |
| SecureRecovery® for PDF | ~19% | $59.99 | Online service available |
| Online service Online.repair | ~42% | $10 per 1 GB | Windows program available: PDF Repair Kit |
| Online service OnlineFileRepair.com | ~41% | $5 per 1 GB | |
| DataNumen PDF Repair | ~15% | $149.95 | Batch mode for processing large numbers of PDF files |
| Service ilovepdf.com | ~7% | Free for one-time recovery | No preview |
| Service pdf2go.com | ~15% | Free for one-time recovery | No preview |
| Service sejda.com | ~2% | $5 per week | Slow service. Desktop version available. Convenient preview of the recovered file |
| Service pdf4me.com | ~10% | $6 per day | Up to 20 files per day. Convenient preview of the recovered file |
Additional information:
- DataNumen PDF Repair includes a convenient batch recovery feature that allows you to process multiple damaged PDF documents in a single operation.
- SecureRecovery® for PDF software is distributed under a licensing model where the cost of the full version is comparable to the cost of recovering a single PDF document. This makes it a good deal for those who plan to use the program repeatedly or work with a large number of damaged files.
- The services ilovepdf.com and pdf2go.com are very similar. Apparently, the sites have the same owner.
Customer's reviews and ratings:
super
Excellent 5 stars
recovered unreadable DAT file, a big thank you!
The problem was that after the 4th page the document could not be viewed further, although there were still 14 pages.
The restored file unfortunately did not restore the document in the desired form - tables, footnotes, etc.
But at least we managed to restore the literature in the file, for which a HUGE THANK YOU - no need to select it again.
Excellent recovery.
Thank you.
It's fabulous, everything has been recovered perfectly without any problems.
I was skeptical about the product at first. Very reputable. After payment, I was able to download my repaired PDF file. It was worth the money. Thank you very much.
excellent
eccellente
Спасибо!
Good program
VERY GOOD
nice
The recovery of my file was mistaken, but then I received a full refund. I’m grateful for the gesture!
Nice neat and Hand recovery tool
super
good
Sorry to say, I did not find it useful for me and it disappoint me. I paid for recovery, but my file did not recover completely, and it recovered file in the form of image instead of text.
excellent
The source files was changed because of a Ransomware attack
Twelve pages of images were added to the recovered document for some reason. I do not like it.
I deleted these pages manually in Adobe Acrobat.
I was working remotely and using the VPN to connect to my company's network. The corrupted file, resided inside one of the company's drive and when I left the file opened after putting my laptop to sleep, the PC must have lost connection to the network. The loss of network connection may have prompted the PDF editor ( Bluebeam Revu 20) to try to save but failed to do so. The next morning when I checked the PDF editor (which remained opened overnight),there was an error message that I did not have the chance to read and the PDF editor closed automatically. After that I could not open the file again.
Good Service. Thank you. The fee is fair so thank you again. Best Wishes. J. Dengel NNNN
my partition was deleted by accident. Most of our recovered files are damaged and corrupted.
I have 453 documents to recover. Minus 1 star because this tool only allows a single file selection. After tediously processing 115 files, only 15% have been recovered with very few being accurate. Minus another star because when a document can't be recovered, only the number of errors is displayed. It would be useful to see what the errors are.
Used this to recover image only multipage PDF files and so far it's recovered everything I've asked it to, saving many 1,000's of pages of scanned data. If only all so called recovery software worked like this.
Please tell me what the "Use compression" option means? When saving the repaired file with and without this option, I did not notice the difference in the document.
I was able to recover one file using your software. But the second file was fixed only by 80%, unfortunately the pictures inside the document were not fully repaired.
How convenient it was to fix a damaged file via the Internet, less headache. Thank you, got a working file
Damn guys, I downloaded your program to see what can be restored. The fact is that my e-book is damaged, and like all e-books, there is either the cover or the title of the book on the first page. Your program offers only the first page for review, and the rest of the pages only after purchasing a license. On the site, online recovery also works according to this principle, that is, it shows those pages that are not interesting. Please do, if the PDF document contains more than 100 pages, then it displays any pages for review NOT from the very first, but may be pages: 1, 13, 58. Is it possible?
In some places, the text became large and changed to the original Times-Roman fonts, after correcting
I dug up all the topics on the Adobe support site, but I could not find a solution to the problem with opening the .PDF file. On the tech forum, support says that the file might have been damaged due to sending via mail, then I asked the client to upload the file to google disk, but this result is the same. I have been trying to solve the problem myself for two days, but I could not, since I did not receive an answer on the Adobe website. I held on until the last, in the end I decided to buy the program, so as not to waste so much time in the future for a 5 minute document repair
Hello! Wow, this really worked! I’m surprised Adobe doesn’t really have such repair process. Thanks guys!
When reading a .pdf file, Adobe Reader shows a message that the .pdf file format is invalid. The file was partially restored, I called support, where I was asked to send the file through the program. As a result, I waited all day to get a preview of the fixed file. I might even have put 3 or 2, if support would not have provided assistance in repairing my file, since the demo version of the program repaired only part of the document.
I could repair the PDF file which was as corrupted in Acrobat. Instead of buying, I chose an online form to fix problems - the file recovered quickly, but why was the order of some pages changed?
The PDF has been damage while I am saving the document. After correcting the errors with your tools, I received a not-so-well-restored file, because all my images were moved to the end of the document, and the dimensions of the notes for the drawings were changed. My PDF document was a guide to using the site builder with a lot of pictures and lines!
Recovery process get back last stable version of corrupted PDF file. It's taken about 30 min, for recover PDF with more 700 pages, but images were recorded in last pages.
Very good program, could be the best thing on the market. the emphasis is on could, because unfortunately you can only repair one document. My hard drive is damaged and therefore about 3000 PDF files are damaged. Repairing each file individually is far too cumbersome, far too long and time-consuming. There is no way to specify the folder and the program should do the work alone in the background. It takes a few hours and that's missing. So an argument not to shortlist the program, otherwise great program if you have to repair a file.
I have paid 10 USD on online recovery and I only got half of the file recovered . that's disappointing
I received .PDF files from the designer for printing flyers, but accidentally damaged them when the computer turned off. All files are damaged and did not want to open in Adobe Reader. The program detected errors and the .PDF file was restored. It’s good that in the trial version you can restore only the first page, since all the files that I had contained only one page, I was able to restore them.
PDF was corrupted when sending via email. Any way to open the Adobe Acrobat file leads to the error "An incorrect structure was found in the PDF file." The user below had the same error, I also managed to recover .PDF files with this error.
I can repair a PDF file that is corrupted after recovering it from the hard drive by using this program. First when I try to open I have got an error "the file is damaged and could not be repaired PDF" then I have got another one"adobe error an incorrect structure was found in the PDF file". This tool partially helps to solve these problems, it's better than nothing.
Magic: I lost a complete book, made in a bright room and saved in PDF. The file was damaged. With this tool, after a few seconds he was back on the PC. I am breathing!!!
thank you
My Pdfs were come back without any change and losses.
I have spent all day trying to recover a corrupted PDF with an error in trailer syntax and the xref table. I downloaded different recovery tools, including Acrobat Pro, Stellar and Kernel then tried command line fixes with Ghostscript, PDFtk and Poppler. NOTHING. I did another search and found Recovery Toolbox for PDF. I tried the demo and my first page actually appeared in the restored version. So I paid $27, got a license, and I now have the restored 16-page file with comments (needed the comments the most). So I am posting a review to save the next person the entire day I just spent.
Tool restored all my corrupted .pdf files. Good fast wizard inside.
Nice tool
The tool restored all my PDF Docs without any losses.
I understood how tool works only in an hour.