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Can’t Open PDF Files? Use the Best Methods to Fix & View PDF Files

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Published By Ashwani Tiwari
Tej Pratap Shukla
Approved By Tej Pratap Shukla
Published On May 25th, 2023
Reading Time 5 Minutes Reading

PDF file format by Adobe has become the most useful for digital lives. From important documents to e-books and user manuals, PDFs have now become the best source for sharing data which can include text, images, audio files etc. But sometimes, it becomes frustrating when the user can’t open PDF files. If you find yourself in a situation where you are facing issues in opening PDF documents, there are several potential causes and solutions that we will discuss in this post.

Unable to Open PDF Files – Here are Some Common Reasons

  1. It’s possible that your Adobe Reader or Acrobat is out-of-date and incompatible with Windows 10/11.
  2. Chances that the PDF file you’re attempting to open was not made by Adobe software, which prevents communication.
  3. A PDF file that is corrupted or corrupt may not open properly.
  4. Improper Adobe Reader installed on the system PDF files can also be unwilling to open.
  5. Another common reason Adobe Reader fails to open PDF files on Windows 10 or 11 is a virus or malware attack.

What are the Possible Solutions When a User Can’t Open PDF Files?

Here are some general methods which are used when such issues occur. Mostly implementing these methods help users to resolve the issue.

1: Upgrade to the Latest Acrobat Reader Version

Once more, an outdated version of Adobe Reader may not be able to open a PDF file. It’s important to stay current with the most recent version because Adobe provides fixes and upgrades for their products from time to time.

  • Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader DC.
  • Next, select the Help menu from the Menu bar.
  • Next, choose the Check For Updates option by swiping it down.
  • Reinstall Adobe Reader
  • The Adobe Reader utility will check for updates automatically. Make sure your internet connection is active so that the search can establish a connection with the server.

Once you locate a newer version of Adobe Reader, decide whether to update it. After the updating process is completed, reboot the system.

2: Repairing Adobe Acrobat Installation

The Adobe Reader programme can also be broken. In this case, it’s possible that Adobe Reader won’t open PDF files for you. Repairing your Adobe Reader installation is the answer.

  • Launch Adobe Reader first, then select Help from the menu.
  • After that, choose Repair Installation from the drop-down menu.
  • To confirm the repair of the present installation, click the Yes button one last time.

Read More: Instant Methods to Extract Certain Pages from a PDF File

3: Disable or Turning Off the Protected Mode in the Beginning

A glitch in the settings may have happened when you can’t access PDF files on Windows 10 or 11, and this option can be helpful for fixing it. To turn off the protected mode upon launch, follow these instructions.

  1. Open Adobe Reader first. For a speedy load, enter “Adobe” in the search bar on the left-bottom of your computer window.
  2. When the main Adobe Reader interface appears, select Edit > Preferences to bring up a new window.
  3. Then select Sandbox Protection under Security (advanced).
  4. Enable Protected Mode at Startup is unchecked. Finally, press the Yes button to exit Protected Mode.

Apart from these methods, PDF file corruption could also be the reason. Hence using a professional solution can help to restore all your PDF file data and then those files be opened and viewed without any issue.

Using Effective Method to Repair PDF Documents to Open and Read the Content

In some rare cases, it may not still show you that you can’t open pdf files. So, there is a high chance that the PDF file you are trying to open has got corrupted. It is hard to find a conventional solution to restore the damaged PDF files. However, using an Automated PDF file Repairing Software can assist to recover all your corrupt PDF files easily.

If a user feels that they are having corrupt PDF files then go through the simple steps mentioned in order to resolve the issue of unable to open PDF files.

1: For repairing corrupted PDF documents, install the tool and hit the Load PDF button to add the PDF files.

install and load the PDF files

2: In the next step the Scanning process will be auto-initiated to recover all the deleted/ corrupted PDF files.

auto scanning process complete

3: When the scanning phase is done, all the recovered database will be shown. Click the button Save PDF and mention the location to save the recovered files.

can't open pdf files

Also Read: Quick Steps to Copy Content from Protected PDF File Without Password 

Conclusion

The most frustrating time comes when a user finds that they can’t open pdf files due to some reasons, identifying the exact reason makes it easier to look for the related specific solution. In some cases, people fail to spot the exact reason. Hence, we have discussed some common causes, followed by a few methods to fix the issue. If users still feel that they are unable to open PDF files, it could be because of file corruption. For that, a user can consider a professional solution to eliminate the error and continue with their work.