How to Repair a Damaged or Corrupt PDF Files On Windows

PDFs are a popular document format that often takes an edge over other document formats because of their compatibility with devices. They can accommodate all content forms – text, images, links, etc. You can even secure PDF documents for better confidentiality. But, quite like other formats they are also prone to issues. For instance, you might bump into a corrupt PDF file once in a while.  That is the time, you would need to repair that PDF files. Wondering how? You have come to just the right place. Here are some of the best ways to repair corrupted PDF files.

Why Repair PDF Files

1. Recover Information

If there is some important information in the corrupted PDF file, you wouldn’t want to lose it. By successfully repairing the PDF file, you can recover that information.

2. Sharing

You can’t share a corrupted PDF file with someone else, especially, if it is an important official document that you are sharing with your colleagues. You might lose your credibility. By repairing it, you can rectify the errors and make them shareable.

3. Repair Content

The tool helps restore elements such as clip art, word art, page format, bookmarks, etc

How To Repair Damaged PDF Files on Windows 11,10

1. Use PDF Repair Software

One of the best ways to repair a corrupted PDF file is to use PDF repair software. Let’s take an example of Stellar Repair for PDF. Here’s how you can repair your PDF document successfully using this PDF repair tool –

1. Download, run, and install Stellar Repair for PDF from the link mentioned below.

   

2. Click on Add File.
3. Select the PDF that you want to repair.
4. Click on the Repair button.

Other Notable Features Of Stellar Repair for PDF

• Batch repair PDF files.
• Can deal with all PDF corruption issues such as hard drive failure, virus infection, and opening PDF in an incompatible program.
• Support all PDF versions.
• Preview repaired PDF files.
• Multiple DPI support.

Pricing: Starts at $29.99. The free trial lets you preview files. To recover PDFs you will have to purchase the Premium version.

2. Repair PDFs Online

You can also repair damaged PDF files online while you are on the go. iLovePDF for instance is one of the best platforms to repair PDF files. Here is how you can do that –

1. Go to iLovePDF
2. Click on Select PDF File or you can drag and drop the corrupted PDF file onto the website.
3. Click on the + icon to add more files.
4. Click on Repair PDF.

Pricing: With the free version you can process limited PDF files for repair. To get more features such as unlimited document processing, you can purchase the Premium variant that starts at $4/ month.

3. Use Adobe To Repair PDF Files

Many of us rely on Adobe Acrobat Reader to read and edit PDF documents. If you are dealing with damaged PDF files in Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can use one of the ways to repair corrupted PDF documents that Adobe recommends.

• In Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can click on Help and Check for Updates.
• Go to the location where the corrupted PDF file is saved, right-click on the PDF file, and click on click on Restore previous versions.
• In Adobe Acrobat Reader, click on Help > Repair installation

Wrapping Up

Dealing with a damaged or corrupted PDF file at the eleventh hour is not a good situation to be in. Big deal! You can try out the ways mentioned in this post and fix the issue. And, if you have, do share your success story with us in the comments section below. For more such content, keep reading WeTheGeek. You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter,  and Instagram.