By Hally | Last Updated
“I want to open a PDF file on my Windows 11 computer. But it shows cannot open PDF because the file has been damaged. What should I do to fix the damaged PDF?”
PDFs are one of the most widely used file formats for documents, contracts, reports, and more. But when a PDF file becomes corrupted or damaged, it can refuse to open, display error messages, or even show blank pages. Don’t panic — you may not need to delete or replace it just yet.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to repair corrupted PDF files using simple methods and reliable tools that can restore your files in just a few minutes.
There are several common reasons for PDF file damage:
These issues can corrupt a PDF’s internal structure, causing it to become unreadable.
Here are the best methods to fix a damaged or unreadable PDF document:
If you're using Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Pro, try these first:
Step 1: Open Adobe Acrobat Reader and click Help > Check for updates. If there is new update available, update it to the newest version.
Step 2: On the Adobe Acrobat Reader interface, click Help> Repair installation to get the Adobe Acrobat Reader repaired.
There are several reputable websites that offer online PDF repair services, such as PDF2Go.
Step 1: Navigate to https://www.pdf2go.com/repair-pdf, then upload the corrupted PDF.
Step 2: Hit the Start button to get the PDF fixed automatically.
Step 3: Minutes later, you can download the repaired version.
If you use Windows File History or cloud storage (like OneDrive or Google Drive), check for a previous version:
Step 1: Right-click the PDF file. Choose the Restore previous versions option from the context menu.
Step 2: Select a previous file and click the Restore button. Soon, an uncorrupted version will be displayed on your computer.
When other methods fail, you can try dedicated software like iSunshare XRepair Genius. This PDF repair tool can resolve the corruption errors in PDF files and quickly restore the PDF content without losing its data.
Step 1: Download and install XRepair Genius on your computer.
Step 2: Open the software. You can see the main features of XRepair Genius on the left side. Choose the File Repair feature and hit the Add File button on the right pane.
Step 3: After the PDF documents are added, go to click the Repair button.
Step 4: Soon, the software will start repairing the corrupted PDF automatically. You will get the successful prompt minutes later. After that, click the Save button to keep the repaired PDF files on your local computer.
Q1: Why won’t Adobe open my PDF file?
Adobe might reject files that are incomplete, damaged, or not properly formatted as PDFs. Try another viewer like Foxit Reader to double-check.
Q2: Can I fix a PDF file without any tools?
Sometimes. Try restoring from backup, emailing the file to yourself (which can correct encoding errors), or converting it to another format and back.
Q3: When getting the error message—File is damaged and could not be repaired in opening PDF file, how to fix?
There might be structural corruption in your PDF documents. You can use the online PDF repair tool or professional PDF repair tool to resolve the error.
Corrupted PDF files can be frustrating, especially when they contain important content. Thankfully, with the right tools and a few quick steps, you can repair damaged PDF files and restore access without starting from scratch. You can choose the aboved methods to fix your damaged PDF files.
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