Repair a damaged PDF file
To repair a PDF that won't open, drop it in: the tool first rebuilds its structure with qpdf, and if that isn't enough it rewrites the file page by page with Ghostscript. You download a clean PDF and see how many pages came back. If the file was cut off, only the pages that still exist return.
- ✅ Free
- 🔒 No sign-up
- 📱 Works on mobile
- ⚡ Instant results
🔒 This conversion runs on our secure server. Your files are deleted automatically after 1 hour and are never read or kept.
📌 Key facts
- To repair a PDF, the tool first rebuilds its cross-reference table with qpdf, then rewrites the file with Ghostscript if needed.
- qpdf keeps the content identical (text, images, bookmarks); Ghostscript may slightly change the layout or drop bookmarks.
- A PDF that was cut off, for example by an interrupted download, only recovers the pages that still exist.
- Limits: 20 MB per file and 15 repairs per hour.
- A password-protected PDF is not damaged, and the tool refuses it.
- The file is processed in a private temporary folder and deleted as soon as the result is sent.
What makes a PDF unreadable
A PDF contains a table that says where each page sits in the file. When that table is damaged, the reader can't find anything, even if the pages are intact. The most common causes:
- an interrupted download (the file is cut off partway);
- a text-mode FTP transfer or an email gateway that altered the bytes;
- software that crashed while saving;
- failing storage (USB drive, disk).
The two repair methods
| Step | Tool | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | qpdf | Reads the whole file and rebuilds the cross-reference table. Keeps the content identical: text, images, bookmarks. |
| 2 (if needed) | Ghostscript | Reinterprets every page and writes a new PDF. Skips unreadable objects, but may slightly change the layout or drop bookmarks. |
The tool tells you which method worked. It can't invent what is gone: if the end of a file is lost, the pages stored there are lost too.
If the repair fails
Try opening the PDF in another reader (browser, Preview, Acrobat): some tolerate more errors. Download the file again from the source if you can. A password-protected PDF isn't "damaged": the tool refuses it, so remove the protection first. Limits: 20 MB and 15 repairs per hour.
How to repair a PDF in 4 steps
- First, drop the damaged PDF (20 MB at most) in the box above.
- Next, wait while the tool tries qpdf, then Ghostscript if needed.
- Then check how many pages came back and which method worked.
- Finally, download the PDF and open it to confirm.
To repair a PDF without wasting time, keep the original file nearby. That way you can always go back. The tool never changes your original.
If you need to repair a PDF that is large, be patient, because every page goes through the check. Then compare the number of recovered pages with what you expected. When the numbers match, your file is complete.
Repair a PDF: which symptom, which method
| Symptom | Likely cause | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| "File is damaged" but normal size | Broken cross-reference table | qpdf, step 1 |
| File smaller than expected | Cut-off download | Download again, then repair |
| Blank image on a page | Unreadable object | Ghostscript, step 2 |
| Asks for a password | Protection, not corruption | Remove the protection first |
When you want to repair a PDF that was cut off, download it again if you can. No tool can rebuild a page that never arrived. So when you repair a PDF, expect missing pages only after a cut-off download.
Keep a PDF from breaking again
- Wait for the download to finish before you open the file.
- Eject a USB drive properly, because a sudden pull can cut the write short.
- Do not rename another file type to .pdf, since that never makes a real PDF.
- Keep a copy of important documents in a second place.
For example, after you had to repair a PDF once, always save your work before you close the software. Then you cut down on bad surprises. Also keep your files on a reliable drive, and keep a cloud copy too. That way you restore a file instead of repairing it.
If the file stays unreadable, try another reader, such as your browser. Some tolerate more errors than others. If no reader opens the file, still try to repair it, because the tool reads a PDF differently than a regular viewer does.
What to do after you repair your PDF
When your PDF opens again, take the chance to clean it up. Each tool below accepts the repaired file. You drop it in, adjust a few options and download the result. Nothing asks for an account. So the whole routine takes a minute or two.
- To slim it down before sending, use compress PDF.
- To pull out the useful pages, open split PDF.
- To gather several files, go through merge PDF.
- To lock the result, try protect PDF.
Finally, if a page stays blank, convert it with PDF to JPG to see what remains.
3 real-life examples
A download that stopped at 60%
The PDF is 4 MB instead of 7 MB and the reader says "file is damaged". After repair: 12 of 20 pages recovered. The last 8 were never received, so download the document again.
A PDF that opens in the browser but not in Acrobat
The cross-reference table is wrong, but the pages are fine. qpdf rebuilds it: all 35 pages come back with their bookmarks.
A PDF received by email with blank pages
Ghostscript rewrites every page and ignores unreadable objects. Pages with text become readable again, while a broken image may stay empty.