4 Effective Methods to Fix Corrupted or Damaged PDF Files

June 17, 2024 (updated June 17, 2024)

By Mia

Are you the one who works with PDFs (Portable Document Format) often? This file format, developed by Adobe, is known for its ability to compile all the necessary components of a document and display it evenly on different operating systems. It is a very secure format which makes sharing documents easy. Unfortunately, sometimes you may encounter an error message stating that your PDF file is corrupt or readable. This can be a disappointing experience, especially if you have important information stored in that file. So you may wonder how to fix pdf file.

In this article we will explore the possible reasons behind the corruption or damage of a PDF file and provide various ways to repair it. In case you mistakenly deleted your PDF file, we will talk about how to recover it using WinfrGUI.

Part 1: Possible causes of damage or damage to PDF files

There are several factors that can contribute to the damage or damage of a PDF file, including:

Incorrect download: Sometimes when you download a PDF file via an unstable Internet connection, the upload may fail or be incomplete, which will damage the file.
Problem with storage media or hard drive: If your PDF file is stored on a corrupted hard drive, USB device or other media, it may cause file corruption.
Unexpected system shutdown: If your computer or laptop suddenly stops working while working with a PDF file, whether due to power failure or an internal system error, there is a high chance that the file will be corrupted.
Virus or harmful file: Any presence of a virus or malicious file on your system may cause the PDF file to be damaged or corrupted.
Incompatible Application: Opening a PDF file with an incompatible application may damage the file.

The causes of PDF file corruption may vary, but don’t worry. In the next section we’ll talk about effective ways to repair your corrupted PDF files.

Part 2: How to repair damaged or damaged PDF files

If you find that you are dealing with a corrupted PDF file, there are several basic troubleshooting steps you can do:

Trying to copy or download files from the original source again
Recover files from backup if you have existing files
If you’re editing a file, try restarting it from a previous version and re-edit it.

If these troubleshooting steps do not work, don’t be afraid. We have listed below an effective way to recover your important PDF documents. Follow the detailed steps provided to repair your PDF files easily and quickly.

1. Try another PDF reader.

Before proceeding to repair a PDF file, consider whether the problem is the PDF reader or the file itself. You can try opening the file with different PDF readers to see if the problem persists.

2. Recover previous version files:

If you’re using Windows 10, you can use the built-in backup tool to restore previous versions of inaccessible PDF files. Here are the steps to follow:

Enable updates and security settings by pressing the Windows button and selecting “Settings”.
Updated backup to access your PDF file. If you haven’t backed up the file yet, you can still try using the file history function to restore the previous version of the file.

If the previous version failed to recover your file, you can try repairing PDF files online using the online tool.

3. Use the free online PDF repair tool:

In order to repair your corrupted PDF file online, you can try a free tool called “Sejda”. This online tool allows you to repaid PDF files up to 200 pages or 50 MB document size. It also ensures the privacy of your file by automatically deleting it after 2 hours. Follow these steps to redress your corrupt PDF file:

Open the site “Sejda.com” and click on “Upload PDF files” to select your corrupted files. You can also drag and drop the files to the page to start the repair process.
Once the file is loaded, click on “Repair PDF” and wait for the process to be completed.

4. Using Professional Software to Fix PDF File:

If the previous methods did not yield satisfactory results, you can try using professional PDF repair software such as Stellar. Stellars are a highly powerful tool that can easily repair corrupted PDF files. It is compatible with Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and supports versions 1.3 to 1.7 PDFs. The stellar has the ability to restore all PDF contents, including page layouts, word art, comments, header, floor messages, and so on. These are the features of Stellary:

PDF files and components can be repaired.
Extract audio, video, text links, digital signals, and more from PDFs.
PDF file repair on external devices.

Repairing a damaged PDF file involves these steps:

Click “Add Files” on the Stellar PDF Repair Tool’s main screen to pick corrupted files. Click “add” to add multiple PDFs.
After adding the file, click “Repair” to begin repair. Stop the process anytime.
Click “OK” to view the repaired PDF file after repair. Save it wherever you wish.

Part 3: How to recover erroneously deleted PDF files

Accidentally deleting your PDF file may be a major flaw, but don’t be afraid. With the help of the WinfrGUI Data Recovery tool, you can recover lost data. This powerful software is able to recover data from various locations including hard drives, tanks, recycled desktops and external devices. No matter how you lose your data, this software can retrieve your files under different circumstances.

Download WinfrGUI Free

Follow these three simple steps to recover your deleted PDF files:

Run WinfrGUI after downloading. Press “Start” after choosing where to remove the PDF.
Use a filter to narrow the search for your file as the software scans. Stop scanning if a PDF file is removed. Otherwise, use “Advanced Search” to thoroughly search the file.
After scanning, the software displays rescued files. Save your PDF files by clicking “Recover” after checking them.

Note: Avoid saving recovered files in the same location as missing files to avoid writing crucial data.

Conclusion

Finally, PDFs can be damaged at any time. You can easily recover them with this article’s procedures. Several methods have been covered to fix corrupted PDF files. Stellar Repair for PDF is suggested for PDF file recovery. If you erase files during recovery or while working with PDFs, Recovereit Data Recovery software can help.