PDF File Errors and Solutions: Helpful Guide for You

PDF has quickly become the preferred file format across all industries. However, it does not mean that you will not have any PDF errors when using them. You will meet common PDF errors from time to time. And once you have it, you will feel very annoyed if you do not know how to fix them. So in today's topic, we'll take a look at six of the most common PDF errors, as well as the solutions that can help you solve those problems.

Part 1: Why Do PDF Errors Occur?

You may feel confused about why you have PDF errors. And to better avoid the errors or fix them after you meet them, you'd better know the reasons behind them. Let us go through a few of the most significant reasons:

  • Failed to completely download PDF in browser
  • Problems with Adobe Reader or another PDF reader installation
  • Interference with applications from third parties
  • Viruses by malicious software and malfunctions in production models
  • Incompatibility with some browsers
  • Misconfigured Windows Registry

These are the most common reasons why errors occur in PDF files. These factors can result in different PDF errors. We list the 6 most common ones with solutions here. You can check them one by one and follow the guide to fix them if you meet one of them.

Part 2: 5 Most Common PDF Errors With Solutions?

PDF Error 1: Unable to Copy or Edit The Content

When you try to edit the PDF files, you cannot do that. One of the reasons lies in the act of scanning a document or taking a screenshot and then storing it in PDF format. The other is that the PDF file is password protected by a permission password. In that case, you will see a pop-up window to let you enter the password to edit or copy the contents.

Solution to Fix This PDF Error

To fix this PDF error, you need to choose one correct tool. Here, we recommend you use UPDF as you can fix this problem with it directly. If your PDF files are scanned or images, you can follow these steps to OCR scanned PDF and make them editable:

  • Download UPDF via the below button and launch it. Open PDF with UPDF and click "Recognize Text Using OCR" on the right panel.

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  • Select "Searchable PDF" on the document type and choose the layout as "Text and images only" or "Text on page image".
  • After setting the document language, image resolution, and page range, tap "Perform OCR" to scan and recognize PDF.
  • Once the process is done, the OCRED PDF will open automatically in UPDF. You can click the "Edit PDF" icon at the left side panel and click on the text you need to edit or copy to edit or copy.
OCR PDF to fix PDF Error

If your content is password protected, you need to enter the password to edit or copy the content. You can follow the below guide to edit and copy the contents.

Steps: Click "Open File" to select the PDF with permission password and open it on UPDF. Then, click "Edit PDF", hit on the text you need to copy or edit, and now you will have one pop-up window. Enter the password, and click "OK". Now, you can edit or copy the contents.

Enter the password to fix Unable to Copy or Edit The Content

UPDF is not only a PDF editor that can help you OCR PDF and enter the password to fix the PDF error of being unable to edit or copy, it has many other features, we recommend you download UPDF via the below button, read this UPDF review from BGR or watch the below video tutorial.

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PDF Error 2: Not Mobile-Friendly

PDFs have the benefit of being able to be shared on several systems while still preserving their format. If your PDF is designed for special purposes with a fixed layout which cannot be read well on mobile devices. Readers with mobile devices will need to zoom in and out of the file to read all its contents or move between columns since mobile devices cannot display the whole content on one small screen.

Solution to Fix This PDF Error

In that case, you may need to convert the PDF file into Word, PPT, or other formats so that the whole format can be changed into mobile-friendly. Here, you can also use UPDF to do that.

Steps: Just click the below button to download UPDF on your computer, double click on the desktop icon of UPDF to run it, open PDF with UPDF, and click "Export PDF" > "Word" > "Export" to convert PDF to Word. Now, you can upload the Word file to Google Drive to access it on your mobile phone. Now, you will not have the reading problem any more.

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export PDF to Word to fix the PDF error

PDF Error 3: Unable to Share PDF Files

When using PDF files, the most frequent operation is that you need to share PDF files. However, you cannot share the PDF file successfully. It can be because the PDF file size is too big or the platform you use to share PDF has problems. You may feel very frustrated when you need to share the PDF file urgently. No worry, you can follow the below guide to fix this PDF error.

Solution to Fix this PDF Error

You can use UPDF to solve this problem. UPDF allows you to compress the PDF size and share it directly via a link, email, or QR code. Here is the guide: open PDF with UPDF, go to "Save as Others" > "Reduce File Size" > select the quality you need. Now, open the compressed PDF, and navigate to "Share this file with others" > "Create" > "Copy" to share this PDF via link with others.

share file with others on windows

PDF Error 4: The PDF Document is Damaged and Can't be Repaired

PDF files can get corrupted by both external viruses and internal threats, which will result in the error message "The file is damaged and cannot be repaired." Users see this dialog box prompt when this problem occurs.

Solution to Fix this PDF Error

If you have received this error "damaged and cannot be repaired," you can try the following steps:

  • If you are using Adobe Acrobat to open the PDF file, you can try to use another alternative - UPDF to open this PDF to see if the problem is fixed.
  • You can try to convert PDF to other formats like Word. You can download UPDF via the below button. Click "Batch" > "Convert" > "Add Files" to select the corrupt PDF files, and select "Word" as the output format. Click the "Apply" to convert PDF to Word, then, try to open that file again.

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batch convert to fix the corrupt PDF file.
  • If you download the PDF from online sources, you can try to download the PDF again or you can ask the sender to send the PDF file to you again.
  • You can try to restore the PDF file to the older version if it is corrupted after editing. Right-click on the PDF, click "Show More Options" > "Properties" > "Previous Version". Select the old version and restore to that version. Now, open the PDF and check if it is fixed.

PDF Error 5: Google Chrome Failed to Load PDF Document Error

When you try to open a PDF file with Google Chrome, however, you cannot do that as it gives you an error "failed to load PDF document". To fix this PDF error, you can follow the below solutions.

Solutions to Fix this PDF Error

  1. You can try to update Google Chrome to the latest version via three dots > "Help" > "About Google Chrome" to update it.
  2. You can also go to "Settings" of Chrome, click "Advanced" > "Privacy and security" > "Site Settings" > "PDF documents" > Toggle off, then, toggle on "Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome" option. After that, try to open the PDF file again.

Part 3: An All-in-one PDF Solution - UPDF

UPDF is not only a tool that can help you fix the PDF errors but also is a one-of-a-kind tool that can help you read, edit, annotate, and organize PDF files. And it is AI integrated which can help you improve your work and study efficiency by summarizing, translating, explaining, chating and more. You can download UPDF by clicking the download button below to check all the below features, read this UPDF review from Laptopmedia, or watch the below review video to know how can you benefit from UPDF.

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Features of UPDF

The following are just a few of the many features that use UPDF, the PDF editor, to stand out from the crowd.

Edit PDF

Any decent PDF editor should allow you to easily edit the text, image, and link. UPDF succeeds admirably in this regard. You won't encounter any problems while making changes to the text, image, and link in a PDF. In fact, UPDF will hold your hand through the entire process to make sure you don't mess anything up.

pdf errors with edit

Convert to Other Formats

UPDF also offers its customers a PDF converting service. Because it is a comprehensive PDF toolkit, it may also be used to change the format of existing PDFs. The process of conversion allows for a number of different file types to be used.

PDFs may be converted to many other file types, including Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, HTML, XML, CSV, RTF, PDF/A, and TXT.

pdf file errors with convert

Annotate PDF Documents

Annotating PDF documents becomes essential when you need to convey your thoughts about a strategy. As a result, you'll have to annotate the article itself in order to give feedback. The rest of your team will have no trouble following up with your ideas thanks to UPDF's comprehensive set of annotation capabilities.

pdf errors with annotate

Manage PDF Files

As a PDF manager, UPDF is highly recommended. You can manage your files more efficiently than ever before with the help of the PDF organizer. There are options to insert, replace, extract, split, rotate, delete, and rearrange pages in PDF.

pdf file errors with organize pdf

Share PDFs

If you want to send a PDF that you edited using UPDF to someone else right away, you may do it easily and fast by sending it over email. You can also share it as a link and QR code.

pdf errors with share pdf

Pros of Using UPDF

  • UPDF is completely offline so you won't have to worry about the confidentiality of your information.
  • It is a highly secure, reliable, and fast PDF editor.
  • It is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
  • You can share your PDF files easily.
  • UPDF updates regularly to improve user experience.
  • The free basic version allows up to 5 PDF conversions.

Conclusion

PDF files are now used by more and more people, and with it, PDF errors have gradually emerged. If you do not know how to solve them, then this article is very suitable for you to read. The article also mentions a one-stop tool for PDF handling with the software UPDF. You can download UPDF via the below button for free trial.

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