There are several reasons of PDF (Portable Document Format) file corruption. The file could be corrupted due to virus attack, issues with Adobe Acrobat Reader or any other unknown reason which does not allow users to access their PDF file properly. Within the file you may have unavailable media files, corrupted content, missing images, damaged links or missing parts of a table. To resolve the issue users can either use free online solution or a paid tool to repair/recover corrupted PDF files. Here are some tips recommended to avoid corruption & check the file status:
  • First try to open the file in browser before attempting to repair it.
  • Confirm corruption by opening a different document using Adobe PDF Reader.
  • Update the Adobe Acrobat to its latest version or download the file again.

Reasons Behind Adobe PDF File Corruption:


There are many reasons that lead to PDF file corruption, some of which have been discussed below. So, when a PDF file gets corrupted, then it displays several types of error messages. The error message always depends on the issue of corruption. In that condition you won't be able to open the PDF file or even if it opens, then corrupted data will be displayed.

Causes of PDF File Corruption: We found some common causes/reasons that result in PDF file corruption some of which are listed below

1. Incomplete Download Process - PDF file can get corrupted if the file download is interrupted somehow.
2. Improper System Shutdown - If the user system shuts down while creating a PDF file, then the respective document has high chances of getting damaged.
3. Incompatible PDF Viewer Software - All PDF viewer tools are not compatible with all versions of PDF files so it could get corrupt or can generate incompatibility errors.
4. Virus Attacks - Virus or Malware attacks on a PDF file or Operating System can lead to the file corruption.
5. Adobe PDF Reader Corruption - This issue appears several times, so try to open another file in Adobe PDF Reader to check whether the issue is with the file or reader.

Ways to Repair/Recover Images from Corrupt PDF Files:


There are 3 best ways available to repair/recover PDF file images; online and desktop based:

1. Visit - https://www.pdf-online.com


PDF Online is a website providing free solution for users to Optimize PDF Files, Convert PDF files to Images (TIFF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, JBIG2, JPEG2000), Extract PDF contents (Extract Text, Images, Bookmarks & Annotations), Convert Image to PDF, Add PDF Security, Add PDF Stamp, Fill PDF Forms, Command Line Suite (Merge, Split & Select), Impose Images and PDFs.

Note: All the above mentioned services are provided for free by PDF online, but they will add a watermark on your document.

Steps to Repair PDF File Via PDF Online Tool


1. Open https://www.pdf-online.com/osa/repair.aspx
2. After opening the above website, you will see Choose File button. Click on the button to select the corrupted PDF file:


3. Now select the file and click on load PDF.
4. After a short uploading process choose any of the 5 options provided (Analyze Only, Recover Pages, Recover Cross Reference Table, Rebuild Streams & Rebuild Fonts):


5. Click on the Execute button after choosing the option.
6. Now click on Save As button to save the recovered document.



2. Go To - http://pdfaid.com


PDF Aid is an online PDF solution providing company in Belgium that provides Watermarking PDF, conversion of HTML to PDF, Image to PDF, Extraction of Images, Joining (Merge) PDF, PDF Splitter, Tiff to PDF, Doc to PDF, SVG to PDF, EPS to PDF, PS to PDF, PDF to HTML, PDF to DOCX, PDF to JPG, PDF to Text, XPS to PDF, Scale PDF, Rotate PDF, Repair PDF, Compress PDF, Excel to PDF, PDF to TIFF and DWG to PDF for free, but they will add a short watermark at the top on the left hand side.

Steps to Repair PDF file via PDF Online Tool


1. Open http://pdfaid.com/repair-pdf-file.aspx
2. Now click on Choose File to select the file for repair. Click open to load file.


3. In Step 2 there are 4 PDF properties: Title, Subject, Author and Keywords.
4. Now click on Repair PDF button to repair the document.
5. After a short duration you will see a message reporting the successful repair. Click on the Click Here link to download the repaired file.


3. PDFWARE PDF Recovery Software


PDFWARE has many tools for Adobe PDF users to offer commonly demanded solutions like; repair, recovery, convert, merge & split, add and remove the watermark, PDF reader for MAC, etc.

Steps to Repair PDF file via PDF Online Tool


1. Download PDF Recovery Software from here: PDFWARE PDF Recovery


2. After downloading the software, install and run it on your computer:
3. To load PDF files, click on load PDF button and select the file having corruption issues.


4. The software will take some time to scan the file:


5. After successful uploading of the file, click on the Save PDF button to save the recovered document.



Note: Using demo version you can’t save the PDF document. To save the document you have to purchase its license. PDFWARE PDF Recovery product price is $49.

At your office, if you don’t want to lose your reputation in front of your boss or clients due to failure in accessing a document, then I would recommend you to purchase the PDFWARE PDF Recovery software. Free online and desktop tools leave their watermark on PDF files.

Conclusion: There is no manual solution to recover PDF file data/images from corrupted document. So we recommend you to follow the above mentioned steps & save your time and efforts.