How to recover a corrupted PDF

A corrupted PDF is not always a lost cause. Depending on the damage, some or all of the content can often be recovered.

Re-download or re-copy

Corruption frequently happens in transfer. Getting a fresh copy from the source is the easiest fix.

Rebuild the structure

Opening and re-saving through a tool that reconstructs the cross-reference table can repair minor damage.

Salvage the pages

If the file mostly works, extract the readable pages into a new document and discard the broken remainder.