How to repair a damaged or corrupted PDF
Updated
Contents
To repair a damaged PDF, open the Repair PDF tool, upload the file, and download the rebuilt copy. Our server runs the file through qpdf, which reads what it can of the damaged structure and writes it out as a new, well-formed PDF.
Repair PDF is a server tool: your file travels over an encrypted connection to a secure server, which deletes the input when the job finishes. The download link stops working after 60 minutes, and stored copies are erased by a daily storage rule. No account is needed.
Step by step
- 1Open the Repair PDF tool.
- 2Upload the damaged PDF — it travels over an encrypted connection, and files up to 100 MB are accepted. It only has to start like a PDF, so a truncated file is taken in.
- 3Press “Repair on our secure server”. qpdf rewrites the file's structure on our secure server, which deletes the input when the job finishes.
- 4If the file had to be rebuilt, read the list above the download: it names what was reconstructed.
- 5Download the repaired PDF. The download link stops working after 60 minutes, so save it right away.
Which files Repair PDF can take
Any file that starts like a PDF, including one that is truncated or whose internal structure is broken: our server rewrites what it can read into a new, well-formed PDF. If what comes back is still not a readable PDF, the job fails and you get no file rather than a broken one. A file that does not start like a PDF is refused.
How much comes back depends on what survived. The repair rebuilds the file around the content it can still read; it cannot recreate content that is no longer in the file.
Reading the warnings
That the file was damaged and has been rebuilt. The repair succeeded, and the list under “This PDF was damaged and has been rebuilt.” names what had to be reconstructed, so you can check those parts against your original. A file that needed no reconstruction comes back without the list.
Compare those parts against the original, or against another copy of the document if you have one, before you rely on the repaired file.
Where the repair runs
Repair PDF runs on a secure server, not in your browser. Your file is uploaded over an encrypted connection, qpdf rebuilds it there, and the input is deleted when the job finishes. The download link stops working after 60 minutes, and stored copies are erased by a daily storage rule.
When the problem is not damage
A PDF that asks for a password is locked, not broken. If you know the password, Unlock PDF removes it and gives you an unprotected copy; it cannot recover a password you do not know.
A scanned document that opens but has no text you can select is not damaged either — its pages are pictures. OCR PDF recognizes the text in them.
Common questions
Which damaged PDFs can be repaired?
Any file that starts like a PDF, including one that is truncated or whose internal structure is broken: our server rewrites what it can read into a new, well-formed PDF. If what comes back is still not a readable PDF, the job fails and you get no file rather than a broken one. A file that does not start like a PDF is refused.
What do the warnings after a repair mean?
That the file was damaged and has been rebuilt. The repair succeeded, and the list under “This PDF was damaged and has been rebuilt.” names what had to be reconstructed, so you can check those parts against your original. A file that needed no reconstruction comes back without the list.
What happens to my PDF after the repair runs?
The file is processed on a secure server, and the input is deleted when the job finishes. The download link stops working after 60 minutes, and stored copies are erased by a daily storage rule.
How large can the PDF be?
Up to 100 MB per file.
Do I need an account to repair a PDF?
No account is needed. Open Repair PDF, upload the file, and download the repaired copy.