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How to repair a damaged PDF

A PDF that says “damaged”, opens blank or stops at an error can often be saved. Open it in the editor: it checks the file, repairs it automatically and tells you what it recovered.

Do it now in the free PDF editorOpens in your browser. No sign-up, no watermark — your PDF is never uploaded.
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Repair a PDF in three steps

  1. Open the PDF editor and choose the damaged PDF.
  2. Wait a moment while it is repaired. A message tells you how many pages were recovered and what was fixed.
  3. Check the pages, then click Download to save the repaired PDF.

See how it works

A cut-off PDF opened in the editor with the message that it was repaired and how many pages were recovered
  1. Open the damaged PDF — it is repaired automatically
  2. Click Download to save the repaired copy

What the repair does

  • Reads every object in the file one by one, so it does not depend on the damaged index at the end of the file.
  • Rebuilds the page list from the pages it finds, keeping their size, rotation and resources.
  • Removes references to objects that are gone, so other apps can open the result too.
  • Checks every page of the repaired copy before it opens.

Keep the original file until you have checked the repaired copy. Saving it under a new name, such as “contract-repaired.pdf”, which is the default, makes that easy.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of damage can be repaired?

The most common ones: a missing or broken cross-reference table and trailer (often after a file was edited by another app), a download or e-mail attachment that was cut off before the end, and a broken page list. The repaired copy is rebuilt from every object that can still be read.

Will I get all my pages back?

Everything that is still in the file comes back. If the end of the file is missing, the content stored there, such as an image or a font, may be lost; the message lists pages that had no readable content. As a last resort, pages that can only be displayed are rebuilt as images.

Can I edit the repaired PDF?

Yes. It opens in the editor like any other PDF, so you can add text, sign, fill in forms, reorder pages or crop them before you download.

What if the file cannot be repaired?

If no readable PDF objects are left, for example when the file is empty or is not a PDF at all, the editor tells you. Try downloading the file again or ask the sender for a new copy.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The repair runs in your browser, so confidential documents never leave your device.

Ready to try it?Drop your PDF into the editor and download the result in seconds.
Open the PDF editor

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