Repair PDF

Try to recover a PDF that will not open

A PDF can stop opening because its internal index is broken, its ending was cut off, or stray data sits before the header. When the pages themselves are still in the file, rebuilding that structure is often enough to open it again.

This is a best-effort tool: some files can be recovered and some cannot. It tells you which happened, and it never modifies your original.

How the repair attempt works

1. Choose or drag in the damaged PDF (up to 25 MB).
2. The file is uploaded to a private temporary folder and checked for password protection and structural problems.
3. The tool first rebuilds the file's internal structure and keeps the original content data unchanged.
4. If that is not enough, it falls back to a heavier rebuild and tells you it did.
5. The result must parse, have an intact page structure, and render before a download is offered.

What repair can and cannot do

• Can help with: broken cross-reference tables, damaged trailers, junk before the header, and similar structural corruption.
• Cannot restore: content that is missing from the file, such as the end of a truncated download.
• The result is described by what it contains — for example the number of pages in the repaired file — not by guesses about what was lost.
• Blank pages are valid and are kept.
• If the heavier rebuild was needed, fonts, form fields and links may differ, and you are told.

Server-side processing, deleted immediately

Repair needs server software, so it is not a browser-only tool. Your PDF is uploaded over HTTPS, worked on in a private temporary folder, and deleted as soon as the attempt finishes. It is not stored or sent to any third-party service, and your original file on your device is never changed.

Limits and important notes

• Not every damaged PDF can be repaired.
• Maximum file size is 25 MB.
• The file must still contain a PDF header; a file that is not a PDF at all cannot be repaired into one.
• Password-protected PDFs are rejected. Repair does not remove passwords.
• A file that opens fine in some viewers but not others may simply need a rewrite — the tool says when no damage was detected.
• When the server is busy you may be asked to try again in a minute.

Related PDF tools

• Split PDFExtract selected pages or separate a PDF into multiple files.
• Organize PDFReorder, rotate, duplicate, or remove pages from a PDF.
• Compress PDFShrink PDF file size while keeping pages readable and print-ready.
• OCR PDFMake scanned PDF pages searchable and selectable with OCR.
• PDF to PDF/AConvert a PDF to the PDF/A archival standard for long-term storage.

Repair PDF FAQ

Can Repair PDF fix any damaged PDF?

No. It is a best-effort tool. It can often recover files with a broken cross-reference table, a damaged trailer, junk before the header, or minor structural corruption — the kind of damage that stops a viewer from opening an otherwise intact file. It cannot bring back content that is genuinely missing, such as the end of a file truncated during download.

What does the tool actually do?

It first checks the file and, if it can, rebuilds the internal structure (the index that tells a viewer where each page and object lives) while keeping the original content data as it was. Only if that is not enough does it fall back to a heavier rebuild that re-interprets the document. The result is checked to make sure it parses, has an intact page structure, and renders before you can download it.

Will the repaired PDF contain all my pages?

It contains the pages that could be recovered, and the tool tells you how many the repaired file has. Because a damaged file often cannot say how many pages it originally had, the tool does not claim that pages were lost or how many — compare the result with what you expected.

Does the repair change my original file?

No. Your original is never modified. The tool works on a temporary private copy and gives you a separate repaired file to download.

What if the tool says the PDF cannot be repaired?

Then no usable document could be recovered from the file, and no download is offered. Try getting the file again from its source, check for an earlier version or backup, or, if the file was truncated, re-download or re-send it.

What does the heavier rebuild change?

When the standard structural repair fails, the document is rebuilt by re-interpreting its pages. That can succeed where a structural fix cannot, but fonts, form fields, links, bookmarks and other features may differ from the original. When this method was used, the tool says so.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

Yes. Repair uses server-side tools, so your PDF is uploaded, processed in a temporary private folder, and deleted immediately afterward. It is not stored or shared with any third-party service.

Can it open a password-protected PDF?

No. Encrypted and password-protected PDFs are rejected. Repair PDF also does not remove passwords or bypass any restrictions.