Repair PDF

How PDF repair works

“Damaged PDF” can mean a few different things: a corrupted internal index (xref), a broken trailer, incomplete downloads, or a file that is technically a PDF but trips up certain viewers. Repair usually means rewriting the file structure so the PDF becomes readable again.

When to use this tool

Use Repair PDF when your file behaves like this:

• Won’t open: your viewer shows an error, hangs, or crashes.
• Blank or missing content: pages render incorrectly or disappear.
• Broken download: the PDF was interrupted, truncated, or saved incorrectly.

After repair, you might want to reduce size with Compress PDF. If you want to extract content instead of fixing structure, try PDF to Text Converter.

Step-by-step: repair your PDF

Repairing follows the same short routine every time:

• Add your PDF files. Drag and drop PDFs onto the box above, or click it to select files.
• Repair the PDFs. Click Repair PDF. Everything runs locally in your browser.
• Save the results. Download each repaired file or use Save all PDFs.
• If a file can’t be fixed. The tool will show Can’t be fixed with a short reason.

Privacy, limits and how this tool treats your files

FileYoga is built around a simple rule: your files stay with you. This tool follows that rule closely.

Practical limits: repair is not guaranteed, very large PDFs can exceed browser memory, and encrypted/password-protected or permission-restricted PDFs may fail unless you provide an unlocked copy.

What it can (and can’t) fix

Repair works best when the file is a real PDF but its internal structure is messy or partially corrupted. It cannot “repair” files that were never PDFs in the first place, or files that are strongly encrypted without access.

• Often fixable: broken xref/trailer issues, viewer incompatibilities, some malformed objects.
• Sometimes recoverable: if a file can be read but can’t be rewritten cleanly, the tool may rebuild a readable copy.
• Not fixable: HTML pages saved as “.pdf”, zero-byte files, heavily truncated binaries, or locked PDFs without access.

Tips for best results

• If you see Can’t be fixed: Not a PDF, re-download the file — some sites save an HTML viewer page instead of the actual PDF.
• If the tool shows Locked, export an unlocked copy (or remove restrictions in the original app) and try again.
• Very large PDFs may hit browser memory limits — try repairing one file at a time.
• If a file opens in one app but not another, repair can help by rewriting structure for broader compatibility.

Troubleshooting

• The tool says “Locked”: the PDF is encrypted or permission-restricted. Export an unlocked copy (if you have permission) and try again.
• The tool says “Not a PDF”: the file content is not a PDF (often an HTML download/preview page). Re-download the real PDF from the source.
• Repair freezes or fails: the file may be huge or heavily corrupted. Try one file at a time, close other heavy tabs, or try on a more powerful device.
• The repaired PDF still won’t open everywhere: try opening it in a different viewer; if you need a “final” version for sharing/printing, use Flatten PDF after repair.
• Pages are missing after repair: the original file may be truncated (incomplete download). If possible, re-download the PDF from the source.

Frequently asked questions