A PDF can fail to open because its cross-reference table is broken, its trailer is truncated, or a page’s content stream is damaged. Repair rewrites the document structure page by page; it can recover a surprising amount, but it cannot recreate content that was never stored.
Step by step
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1
Upload your PDF
Drag your PDF onto the box or click Choose file. It is sent over an encrypted connection and only used for this task.
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Rebuilds the structure
The file is re-written page by page, which fixes broken cross-reference tables and truncated trailers. Damage inside a page's content stream cannot always be recovered.
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Run it and download
Press Repair and the page shows progress while it works. When it finishes you get a download link — nothing is emailed and nothing is stored longer than it needs to be.
What repair can fix
Broken page trees, incorrect cross-reference tables and truncated trailers are structural problems. Reconstruction can often rebuild them and recover the pages. Damage inside a page’s content stream, a missing embedded font or a scan whose bytes are gone may not be recoverable. A successfully opened file can still contain a blank or partial page.
Try repair before other tools
If a file refuses to open, repair it first. Compression, merging or conversion tools need a readable PDF, so repairing the structure gives the other operations a chance to work. Keep the damaged original; the repaired copy is a new file and may have lost form fields, bookmarks or signatures.
Check every recovered page
Open the repaired PDF and check the page count, the first and last page, and any page you know was complex. Look for blank pages, missing images and changed text. If the file is a signed contract, verify the signature separately; structural repair can invalidate a digital signature.
Good habits for Repair
- Compress is the quickest win for an oversized file — try it before resizing images by hand.
- Flatten before sending a form if you want the answers frozen.
- Repair first if a file refuses to open; many other tools then work on it.
Common questions
Is this tool free?
Yes. Every tool on this site is free to use, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily task limit.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The tools run in your browser and are processed by this server.
What happens to my files?
They are stored under an unguessable id and swept automatically after a couple of hours. Nothing is shared or indexed.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The page pickers and editors are built for touch, so dragging, rotating and selecting pages all work without a mouse.
What does Repair do exactly?
Recover data from a corrupted or damaged PDF document
Will repair fix an encrypted PDF?
You need the password first. Repair cannot open a document whose encryption key is missing.
Can repair recover deleted pages?
No. It rebuilds the structure of the file you have; pages that are not present cannot be recovered from nothing.
Why is the repaired file larger?
Reconstruction may rewrite objects and lose some original compression. Compress the repaired copy if size matters.