Repair PDF
Rebuild a damaged PDF that won't open, and linearize it for fast web viewing.
Select a PDF fileor drop it anywhere on this page, or paste
Opens in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Repair PDF, free and private
Repair a PDF that will not open, says the file is damaged, or loads with missing pages. Most of the time the content is still there and only the file's index is broken. That index, the cross-reference table, tells a reader where each part of the file lives.
Repair PDF rebuilds that index with qpdf, an open-source PDF toolkit, running in your browser as WebAssembly. It is free and the file is never uploaded, which matters when the broken file is a contract you cannot easily replace.
How to repair a damaged PDF
- 1
Add the damaged PDF
Press Select PDF files or drop the file onto the page. The tool repairs one file at a time.
- 2
Press Repair PDF
There are no settings. qpdf reads what it can, rebuilds the cross-reference table if it is broken, and writes a clean new file.
- 3
Download the repaired file
Press Download PDF. The file ends in -repaired.pdf. The result screen shows the old and new size, lists the damage that was fixed and confirms fast web view is on.
- 4
Check that it opens
Open the repaired file in your usual reader and page through it. Keep the original until you are sure nothing is missing.
Why use PDFToolz for this
Built for broken files
qpdf is designed to read damaged PDFs and recover their structure. Warnings during recovery are normal and do not stop the rebuild.
Fast web view
The output is linearized, so a browser can show page 1 before the whole file has downloaded. Useful for PDFs you host on a website.
Nothing leaves your device
The repair runs as WebAssembly in your browser. The file is not sent to a server.
No account
There is no sign-up, watermark or limit on how many files you repair.
How the PDF repair works
qpdf reads the file object by object. If the cross-reference table is missing or wrong, it scans the file to find the objects itself. Then it writes a new PDF with a correct index. Objects nothing points to are dropped and small objects are packed into compressed streams, so the repaired file is often a little smaller.
Page content does not change. Text, images, fonts, bookmarks and form fields that could be read are written back as they were. Nothing is redrawn or converted.
When repair helps and when it cannot
Repair works when the content is still in the file but the structure around it is wrong. It cannot bring back data that is not there.
- Likely to help: file is damaged and could not be repaired errors, files saved by buggy software, PDFs merged by tools that left a broken index, and files that open in one reader but not another.
- Partly helps: cut-off downloads. Pages stored before the cut can often be saved. Anything after it is gone, so download the file again if you can.
- Cannot help: a file that is not really a PDF, such as an error page saved with a .pdf name or a zero-byte file.
- Protected files: a file that only blocks printing or copying can be repaired as it is. A file that needs a password to open must go through Unlock PDF first.
What to check after repairing
A file that opens is not always complete. Compare the page count with what you expected and look at the last pages, where a cut-off shows up. Check that images and fonts look right and that form fields still hold their values.
If problems remain, try the original in another PDF reader, since some are more forgiving, or ask the sender for a new copy. Once the file opens reliably, you can shrink it with Compress PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Add the file here and press Repair PDF. qpdf rebuilds its structure in your browser and you download a new file ending in -repaired.pdf. It is free and nothing is uploaded.
No. It fixes structural damage like a broken cross-reference table. It cannot restore content that is missing from the file. If the file is too damaged or is not a PDF, you see an error.
The file is reordered so page 1 can show while the rest is still downloading. It does not change how the document looks.
No. Readable content is written back as it was. Only the internal structure is rebuilt.
If the file opens without a password but blocks printing or copying, repair it as it is. If it asks for a password to open, remove it first with Unlock PDF, which needs that password. Then repair the unlocked copy.
Last reviewed . See how we build and test our tools, or report an error.
