Broken PDF Diagnosis
Why won’t my PDF open?
Diagnose a PDF that will not open. Two independent parsers test the file and the report explains whether the structure is damaged, recoverable or not a PDF at all.
Your files are processed locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server, ever.
Tip
Drop your file here or click to browse. Everything is processed on this device — nothing is uploaded.
Quick answers
- What does this tool do?
- Why won’t my PDF open? Diagnose a PDF that will not open. Two independent parsers test the file and the report explains whether the structure is damaged, recoverable or not a PDF at all..
- Is it free?
- Yes — free and unlimited, with no account required and no watermark on the result.
- What files are supported?
- PDF files, up to 100 MB each.
- Where is my file processed?
- Entirely in your browser. Your file never leaves your device — nothing is uploaded to a server.
- What are the limitations?
- Diagnosis is automated and best-effort; it cannot fix files or guarantee recovery.
- What happens if processing fails?
- You get a clear message explaining what went wrong and how to fix it (try another file, check the format, or start over). Your original file is never touched.
How to Broken PDF Diagnosis
- Upload the PDF that will not open.
- Click "Process" — two parsers test the file.
- Download the diagnosis report.
- Follow the recommendation (repair, or re-export from the source app).
Frequently asked questions
Common problems and fixes
- Document properties look wrong or stale
Why: metadata is whatever the creating software wrote — it can be outdated or edited arbitrarily.
Fix: trust the structural checks (pages, sizes, fonts) as ground truth; clean metadata separately if it matters.
- The accessibility checker lists many issues
Why: older PDFs were exported without tagged structure, which screen readers need.
Fix: re-export from the source app with "tagged PDF" enabled, then re-check.
- An encrypted file cannot be analysed
Why: encrypted documents must be unlocked before any tool can parse them.
Fix: remove protection first if you own the password — tools cannot and should not bypass encryption.
Who uses Broken PDF Diagnosis?
- Compliance teams — checking PDF/A conformance and tagging before documents go to the archive.
- Legal review — inspecting metadata before a document is released or filed.
- PDF producers — QA on generated output — page sizes, fonts embedded, structure intact.