How to Repair Corrupted PDF File? Easy Manual Tricks

PDF (Portable Document Format) file is the most common and popular file type that is supported by approximately all the Operating Systems. It is a more secure file type because it can be password and watermark-protected so that nobody can change anything in the document. But still, sometimes it gets corrupted and when you try to access it you can get the following error messages:

• There was an error opening this document.
• There was an error processing this page.
• The file is damaged or corrupt.
• The root object is invalid or missing.
• PDF file not readable with your software. Etc.

Now, we will know some possible ways to access the corrupted PDF documents. If the PDF files are corrupted then it may be possible to repair the entire PDF to restore it to the previous state. But before knowing the repairing techniques we will also know why PDF files get corrupted.

Why does PDF Documents Gets Corrupted?

There may be multiple reasons to corrupt PDF files which are as follows:

• Hard drive failure.
• Download Issues.
• Improper Shutdowns.
• Issues while transferring the files.

How to Repair Corrupted PDF File?

Sometimes it is very frustrating when you can’t open your documents due to corruption. So here are some tricks mentioned below to repair corrupted PDF files. These methods have been tested before and follow some limitations on the level of corruption. Therefore let’s discuss them one by one.

1. Try Other PDF Readers to Open the PDF Files

If PDF files are not opening in Adobe Acrobat then try other PDF readers to access your corrupt PDF files. There are various PDF file viewers, on the internet for free you can try any one of them. Some of the best PDF readers are as follows except Adobe Acrobat: Foxit Reader, Javelin PDF Reader, Google Drive, Nitro Reader, Sumatra PDF, etc.

2. Restore Previous Version of File

If the PDF files are on Windows 10 then there is already a backup inbuilt utility in it. You can access this utility by pressing Windows Key then going to Settings and navigating to Update & Security.

It is good if you have already enabled the Backup utility for safety. You can use the File History feature to recover the PDF file from the previous version. Now see the steps below to restore from the previous version:

i) Browse to the location/path where the corrupt PDF documents are saved and right-click on the file.

ii) Now, choose to Restore previous versions.

Apart from that, Restoring from the previous version can save you from scratch or loss but it is not a foolproof method that’s why you should try a third-party utility for safety and security.

3. Repair Corrupted PDF File Using a Third-Party Utility

After trying all the above-mentioned techniques that are not foolproof methods, the user should try the third-party utility to repair corrupted PDF files. PDF Recovery Tool is the best option to repair unlimited damaged PDF files with ease. This utility recovers corrupted PDF files including text, links, comments, images, bookmarks, tables, animations, diagrams, Unicode characters, etc. It maintains the integrity of files, rebuilds corrupt PDF files on the system, and is compatible with all Windows operating systems.

Some Salient Features of Sysinfo PDF Recovery

• Maintain accuracy
• Batch Recovery
• Smart recovery modes
• Preserving file structure
• Recovery from external media
• Save extracted images and texts

Steps to Recover Corrupted PDF Files

• Download and launch the software as administrator.
• Then, Click Browse, choose either single or multiple files, and click Next.
• Select a recovery mode, and click Next.
• After completing the scanning process, check the preview of recovered data, and click Next.
• Choose the location to save the recovered PDF files and click Save.
• The saving process will be started and after completing the saving process new file will be saved to the defined location, click OK.

Conclusion

These were some techniques to repair corrupted PDF files. I have suggested the manual as well as an automated solution to fix the PDF corruption issue. If corruption is minor then the manual method is enough to resolve but if the PDF files have completely corrupted then try a third-party utility to fix the corruption. A Manual Solution has some limitations and requires technical skills to perform whereas the Recovery Tool can repair PDF files in a few simple steps.

About The Author:

Edwin Stark

Edwin Stark is a Technical Content Writer who specializes in writing about databases, e-mail recovery, and e-mail migration solutions. He loves researching and developing content that helps database administrators, organizations and novices to fix multiple problems.

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