How To Fix PDF File Not Opening Error: Common Fixes & Pro Tips

PDF files are commonly used across various personal and professional levels. From the basic use of students to the advanced formatting of official documents, PDF file format caters to the need of many users. What if you are unable to open your PDF document? There are some primary reasons and resolutions to this error, where you can practice the best possible scenarios with the help of the available data.

Part 1: Why PDF Files Are Not Opening?

We shall start off with some reasons that would explain why PDF files are not opening on your computer. These reasons will guide you into how to potentially resolve all the prevailing issues involving opening PDF files. Let's find out why your PDF files are not opening across the device:

• No PDF Reader Installed: PDF files can be accessed and read from Microsoft Edge across the Windows computer. However, if there is no proper PDF reader or editor present across your device, you would not be able to open it to operate the specific function. There will be no pre-installed PDF reader within your computer that can provide the services of managing PDFs.
• PDF Reader or Editor is Out of Date: Any PDF software downloaded and installed on your computer must be updated. These applications always come up with improvements for the users. If your PDF reader is not opening the file and coming up with some error, there is a clear chance that the PDF software is outdated and not operational across multiple tasks.
• Damaged PDF Software: The PDF reader downloaded across the computer is damaged for some uncertain reasons. When it is damaged, there is nothing specific that you can do about it. In such a case, you will have to repair or reinstall it.
• Document Won’t Open across the PDF Software: There can be multiple reasons for the PDF document not opening across the computer. Even with a PDF reader, there is a chance that your document is password-protected, which might not open for any reason across the computer. In such a case, you must have proper PDF software for unlocking passwords.

Also Read: PDF File Errors and Solutions

Part 2: How to Fix Can’t Open PDF File Errors

As you understand what causes the issue of PDF files not opening across the computer, it is time to fix them. This part will provide you with a guideline on resolving the issue of PDF files not opening across the computer. Let's find out:

Solution 1: Install UPDF on Your Computer and Make it Default PDF Software

As we've discussed, there is a chance that you might not even have proper PDF software on your computer. In such a case, you should immediately download and install UPDF on your computer. Having it will provide you with an excellent and coherent experience in PDF editing. Ensure that you properly install UPDF on your computer. Following this, you need to make this your default PDF tool across the computer. To do this, you will have to follow the respective steps as shown below:

Step 1: Direct to a PDF document on your computer that you want to open, Right-click on it, and select the option of "Open With" from the drop-down menu. Next, you should choose the "Choose another app" option to access the list of software with which you can open this document.

Step 2: Select "UPDF" across the list and check the option "Always use this app to open .pdf files." This will make UPDF the default opening software for PDF documents. Next, you can easily open a PDF document across the platform.

Solution 2: Update Your PDF Tool to Latest Version

In another case, your PDF tool might not be updated to the latest version. Updating UPDF is quite simple and easy, and you need to have it done to avoid all issues involving the process of opening a PDF:

Step 1: Launch UPDF on your computer and lead to the "Help" tab on the top.

Step 2: From the list of options, select "Check for updates…" to find a prevailing update and successfully install it across your PDF tool.

Solution 3: Uninstall UPDF and Reinstall it Again

You might have to uninstall and reinstall UPDF on your computer to ensure a smooth flow of the software. As it needs to be repaired, this is the most appropriate direction to consider. Let's look into how you can cover this with ease:

Step 1: Access the "Search" bar from the icon as available across the taskbar. Type in “Apps & features” and open the respective window.

Step 2: Following this, scroll down and find UPDF in the list of applications. Click on the UPDF application and select "Uninstall" from the options. Follow the on-screen instructions to delete UPDF from your computer.

Step 3: Lead back to the browser and find UPDF across the browser. Download the latest version of this PDF editor across your computer with ease.

Solution 4: Unlock the Password-protected PDF Document

There is a chance that the PDF document you are using is password protected. To resolve this, you need to have software that unlocks the password-protected PDFs.

UPDF provides you with the option of unlocking password-protected PDFs with ease. You can mimic these steps by downloading by clicking the download button below. To do this, you may follow the steps as advised below:

Step 1: Start UPDF on your Windows computer and proceed to "Open File" to open a PDF.

Step 2: As you import it, you need to provide the password across the pop-up. Click on "Unlock" to open the password-protected PDF document.

Part 3: An All-in-one PDF Solution

UPDF has presented itself as an excellent PDF solution in the saturated market of PDF editors. This tool has outshined many departments and provided a wholesome experience of PDF management that is a game-changer in the current market.

This PDF editor provides a complete platform for editing, reading, annotating, and organizing PDFs. It is not confined to these basic PDF management features. You can download it for a trial.

You can find the option of converting your PDF documents to the perfect formats without changing the document's formatting. To make the process of sharing PDFs easier with other users, you can look for a complete system of sharing PDFs. UPDF offers a complete and exclusive experience of PDF reading, editing, and management to the market.

Advantages of Opting for UPDF as Your PDF Tool

There are many benefits of having UPDF installed on your Windows or Mac device. The change in managing PDFs would be prominent for you, and you will be observing them in the execution of your tasks:

• Features a stable performance while working with single or multiple PDF documents. This helps you operate large PDF documents across the platform.
• You can secure your documents with its high-level encryption technology. This is quite simple to use while protecting your documents from someone accessing them without your permission.
• UPDF provides the ability to work with qualitative features that do not damage the original formatting of the PDF document.
• It is a PDF editor that is compatible with major operating systems, including Windows and Mac. Following this, you can find it across mobile platforms such as iOS and Android.

Part 4: Extra Tips – PDF Won’t Open On Other Platforms

We shall also be providing you with some simple explanations of why PDFs won't open on other platforms. This will be followed by some effective solutions that can be considered for these platforms.

Q.1. Why Can’t I Open PDF on iPhone?

iPhone provides a built-in PDF tool to read out PDF documents. The problem, however, can revolve around corrupted PDF files. In other cases, the file that is being accessed might not open because of bugs across the device.

Q.2. Why Can’t I Open PDF on Android?

If you cannot open a PDF document on an Android device, you won't have any PDF tool on your smartphone. To quickly open a PDF, you must install UPDF on your Android by downloading it from the Play Store.

Q.3. Why is the PDF Not Opening in Chrome?

You won't be able to open a PDF document across Chrome because it contains excess cookies and needs to be cleared. Additionally, you might have installed some extensions that may intervene with the operations. Thus, you need to have it uninstalled from Chrome.

Q.4. Why Can’t I Open PDF on Outlook?

If you are unable to open a PDF document on Outlook, you must restart the platform to counter any temporary bugs within it. Try using a PDF reader such as UPDF if you cannot open PDFs across Outlook.

Q.5. Why Can’t I Open PDF on Gmail?

There might be a case where you have an excessively large file that cannot be opened across Gmail. In light of this point, you must have a PDF reader such as UPDF on your computer to easily open such PDFs.

Conclusion

This article has shed light on the workable solutions that can be utilized to fix the PDF files not opening issue. To make the process easy and smooth, try using UPDF for effective PDF management. This tool provides a complete set of reading and editing PDF solutions to enhance the user experience.