4 Tested and Proven Tools to Fix PDF Online

The PDF format is used everywhere. Business documents, including reports and contracts, are often in this format. Likewise, PDF is the go-to format for academic papers and homework.

That said, a PDF may contain very important information. It would be a huge problem if you suddenly lost access to its contents because of file corruption. Thankfully, you can fix damaged PDFs using PDF repair online tools. In this article, you will discover the 4 most reliable ones.

Part 1: What are the Common PDF File Issues?

PDFs allow users to quickly access information. They look the same no matter the tool or device you use to open them. But this advantage is lost if you can't open the PDF or there is something wrong with its contents. Here, we will discuss the most common PDF issues.

Issue #1. PDF Corruption

If you see an error message when opening the file with a tool that supports PDF, it is probably corrupted. Common causes of file corruption include damaged drives, viruses or malware, and interrupted downloads or file transfers.

Sometimes, you will be able to open the PDF. However, some of its pages are missing. In other cases, the content is replaced by random strings of characters that don't make sense. File corruption could also be the reason why your PDF looks like that.

Issue #2. Non Editable PDF Documents

Some PDFs are designed in a way that prevents you from editing them. These are the image-based PDFs. If the document is scanned, you also can't edit it. To fix the issue, you need to use OCR to convert the text and images into machine-readable elements.

Issue #3. Freezing Your Computer

Does the PDF freeze your computer? You can open it, but it loads very slowly. Then, it also makes your computer slower, eventually freezing it. That problem usually occurs when trying to open large PDF documents. Compressing the PDF or repairing it can help prevent this problem.

Part 2: How to Repair Corrupted PDF Files Online? 4 Popular Tools

As mentioned above, a common cause of PDF problems is file corruption. So, what do you do if your PDF is corrupted? Can you still salvage it? Yes, you can. Depending on the severity of the corruption, you can recover the file using file repair tools. The success rate also depends on the reliability and power of the tool. Here, we have listed your 4 best options:

Tool 1. Using Repairit File Repair to Fix PDF Files Online

Repairit File Repair is the best option for fixing corrupted PDF online. This not only can repair PDFs online but you can also use it offline. So, you can fix your documents even if you don’t have internet access. This flexibility makes it a reliable choice for users who need quick and secure solutions anytime.

Here are the key features of Repairit File Repair:

• Repairit handles corrupted PDFs that show errors or cannot open at all.
• It can restore missing text, images, and formatting in broken PDF files.
• This tool can fix multiple PDFs at the same time, saving time and effort.
• Repairit File Repair works without the internet. This makes it useful for areas with poor connectivity.
• It supports all types of PDF files, including large or password-protected ones (if the password is known).
• Has a simple design, so it is easy for beginners to use.

Step 1. Go to Repairit’s website and download and install its desktop version on your OS. Select More Types Repair and click on File Repair.

Step 2. Click the +Add button and select the corrupted PDFs. You can also drag and drop them from your file manager into the Repairit interface.

Step 3. Click the Repair button.

Step 4. Wait for the repair to finish. Then, click the Preview button to see the recovered file and check if the issue was fixed. Click the Save button if it is.

Tool 2. Try PDF Converter to Repair PDF Corrupted Files Online

Converting a PDF to another format and then back to PDF can also help repair it. If you choose this method, the tool to try is PDF Converter, a free online app that can convert from and to PDF. Since it supports both ways of conversion, you do not need to look for another tool to turn the file back to PDF.

Here are PDF Converter's key features:

• Converts PDFs to other formats.
• Converts other documents to PDFs.
• Accepts files from Google Drive, Dropbox, or a URL.
• Allows you to compress the output.
• Offers batch processing.

To convert and repair corrupted PDFs using PDF Converter, do this:

Step 1. Open a web browser and go to PDF Converter's website. Click the Choose file button to upload your PDF. Alternatively, click the button for Google Drive, Dropbox, or URL to import the PDF from other locations.

Step 2. Select a file format to convert the corrupted PDF to.

Step 3. Once the conversion is done, click the Download button.

Step 4. Repeat the process, but this time, convert the file to PDF.

Tool 3. Adopt AvePDF to Fix Corrupted PDFs Online

AvePDF is an online PDF management tool offering a good variety of features. It does not really have a PDF repair feature. However, you can use its other features to fix damaged PDFs. For example, the Convert to PDF/A feature can optimize your PDF for long-term archiving. It could fix the errors causing problems with the PDF.

AvePDF has these key features:

• Converts PDFs to PDF/A, a better format for long-term archiving and preventing errors.
• Allows you to edit PDFs.
• Can hyper-compress PDFs to speed up loading times.
• Can validate a PDF/A document.
• Allows you to upload PDFs from your computer or from the cloud.

Here is how to use AvePDF for damaged PDF file repair online:

Step 1. Open a web browser and navigate to AvePDF's website.

Step 2. Select Convert PDF/A.

Step 3. Click on the Choose File button or the Google Drive, Dropbox, or URL buttons to upload the corrupted PDF.

Step 4. Select the highest conformance level and click Convert.

Step 5. Download the converted file.

Tool 4. Damaged PDF File Repair Online Using iLovePDF

Another great online PDF repair tool is iLovePDF. Unlike the previous two tools, this online PDF editor has a real PDF repair tool. It also supports batch processing, so you can load more than 1 PDF at a time. Furthermore, iLovePDF has cloud integration, so you can import files from Google Drive or Dropbox.

Here's a list of what iLovePDF offers:

• Can repair multiple PDFs at once.
• Allows you to import PDFs from your computer or cloud storage.
• Allows you to view and edit PDFs.
• Can convert a PDF to PDF/A.
• Compress PDFs.

For corrupt PDF repair online using iLovePDF, follow these steps:

Step 1. Go to iLovePDF's website. Select Repair PDF.

Step 2. Click the Select PDF file, Google Drive, or Dropbox button to upload the corrupted PDF.

Step 3. Click Repair PDF.

Step 4. Download the repaired PDF.

Part 3: Why Use Online PDF Repair Tools?

There are offline repair tools, and there are online tools. Why should you fix PDF online? Does using online tools for repairing corrupted PDFs have advantages? Here's what you need to know:

1. Accessibility - You can access online tools anywhere and anytime. You can even use your phone. On the other hand, desktop tools require you to be home at your desk or to bring your laptop or Macbook.
2. No Installation Required - Installing a repair program may be impossible for people. If your computer does not have enough storage space, you need to delete something. For some, that is not an option. Also, product installation may be difficult for people who are not tech-savvy.
3. Cloud Integration - With offline tools, you need the PDF to be saved on your computer. On the other hand, online tools accept inputs from cloud storage systems like Google Chrome and Dropbox.

Conclusion

Can you repair damaged PDF documents? Yes, you can. You can use PDF repair online tools like Repairit File Repair to fix them. With these tools, you can fix corrupted PDFs, giving you full access to their contents again. The best thing is that you can use these tools for free anytime, anywhere. For the best results, choose tools that use advanced algorithms. They can fix more files than the other options.