Fix a Damaged PDF That Won’t Open

Try a qpdf rebuild, a lenient re-save, then page-by-page rescue to recover a damaged PDF, with a log of each step.

Free, with no sign-up and no watermark. The file is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

Try to rescue a PDF that won't open or shows errors. Three methods are tried in turn, and a log shows what happened: a structural rebuild with qpdf, a lenient re-save that rebuilds a clean page list, and finally rescuing every page that can still be displayed. Pages rescued by the last method become images, so their text is no longer selectable.

Step by step

  1. Upload the damaged PDF: Drop it onto Upload a damaged PDF.
  2. Repair: Click Repair PDF.
  3. Read the result: The message tells you which method worked and how many pages were recovered.
  4. Check the file: Open the repaired PDF and look through it before deleting the original.

Handy for

Interrupted downloads

Recover what you can from a file that didn't finish downloading.

Email attachments

Fix files damaged in transit.

Broken exports

Repair PDFs written by buggy software.

Old archives

Rescue documents from damaged storage.

Good to know

  • If only some pages come back, try downloading the original again — the rest of the data may simply be missing.

  • After a page rescue, run Searchable PDF to make the text searchable again.

  • The re-save method rebuilds the page list, so bookmarks may not survive.

Questions

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is read and processed by JavaScript running in your browser tab. Nothing is sent to a server, and the result is created on your device.

Can every PDF be repaired?

No. If the data isn't in the file any more, nothing can bring it back. The tool tells you if no pages could be read.

Will the text stay selectable?

Yes for the first two methods. Pages saved by the last-resort rescue are images.

Why does qpdf fail on my file?

qpdf stops on some kinds of damage; the next method then takes over automatically.

More Read & Analyse tools

  • Image to Text (OCR) — Extract editable text from photos, screenshots and scans on your device — 26 languages, no upload.
  • Make Scanned PDFs Searchable — Recognise text in scanned PDFs or photos on your device and add it as an invisible layer you can search and copy.
  • Compare Two PDF Versions — Show two versions side by side with added and removed words, or overlay pages to highlight changed pixels.
  • Summarise a PDF with Citations — Quote a PDF's key sentences with page numbers on your device, or get a rewritten summary via Gemini with your key.
  • Ask Questions about a PDF — Ask questions about a PDF and get answers with page numbers, on your device or via Gemini with your own key.

All Read & Analyse tools