The Portable Document Format, more commonly known as PDF, serves as one of the frequently employed file formats for digital information transfers. It has extensive safety features to prevent unwanted possession of data, and users may safeguard files by using multiple safety precautions as necessary. Yet, sometimes opening a PDF document leads to a black screen or blank pages.

Given its unique qualities, PDF is bug and glitch-free. A frequent problem that people describe when working with a PDF is that of a PDF blank when opened issue. There may exist numerous causes of the PDF blank problem, such as file corruption, an inconsistent format, and so on. Please read the blog that follows to understand how to solve it in a few easy steps.

Part 1: Fix Blank PDF Caused by PDF File Corruption

Corrupt PDF files may end up in the destruction of vital data and lead to blank page PDFs. This frequently occurs unexpectedly. Regardless of whether your PDF behaves strangely, you can still resolve file issues.

In this part of the blog, we will go over and give you a highly efficient approach to fixing this issue.

You could try Wondershare Repairit - File Repair. It has been optimized to recover corrupted PDF files with a few taps.

Additionally, it maintains the data's initial arrangement along with supporting all formats of PDF. The application can be downloaded and set up on all versions of Mac or Microsoft Windows.

How Can Wondershare Repairit File Repair Help?

Third-party software designed exclusively for repairing corrupted PDF files needs to be used to fix them. Wondershare Repairit File Repair is a one-stop tool for repairing any type of corrupted file in just a few taps. It may assist in resolving PDF Black Screen along with Microsoft, Adobe, or zip corrupt files difficulties.

Wondershare Repairit - File Repair

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• Repair damaged files with all levels of corruption, including blank PDF, PDF not opening, PDF picture issues, PDF color issue, PDF fonts missing, unreadable pdf, etc.

• Fix text, hyperlinks, forms, headers, footers, graphs, watermarks in PDF, etc.

• Perfectly repair corrupted files with a very high success rate, without modifying the original file.

• No limit to the number and size of the repairable files.

• Support Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019/2022, and macOS 10.10~macOS 13.

• Except PDF, Repairit also supports all formats of Word, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ZIP, and Adobe files.

Follow the step-by-step guide to fix the PDF Black Screen error using the Wondershare Repairit.

Step 1: Add corrupted files on the Wondershare Repairit

Launch Wondershare Repairit in your system. Now navigate to the ‘More Types Repair’ from here you will select the ‘File Repair section’ out of the others.

Next, you will add your corrupted file by clicking on the ‘Add’ button.

More than one corrupted file can be added at once after the file details, such as its name, size, and location have been checked.

Step 2: File Repairing

The repair process will begin after the "Repair" option has been selected along with scanning of the document undergoing repair will be done as well.

The interface will display the progress of the process while you wait for it to be finished.

A prompt will be generated once the process is completed and you will be notified.

Step 3: Preview and Save

As soon as the repairing process completes click on the "Preview" option to confirm that your requirements have been fulfilled. Once satisfied, click "Save All" and export the repaired files.

Part 2: Other 7 Ways to Fix Blank Document PDF Problems Manually

Way 1. Disable the "View in Browser" Feature

One other fix to the problem of a black screen is to view the PDF in a different window apart from the browser you were using. The following steps will help you understand the method:

• Launch Adobe Reader and go to View then select Tools option. a dropdown menu will appear from where select Accessibility.

• Now click on the Setup Assistant from the Menu Bar.

• Select the Screen Reader Setup option.

• refrain from altering the configurations on screens 2, 3, and 4 of 5, after which click Next to keep going.
• On screen 5, uncheck the box labeled "Display PDF Documents in the Web Browser" and then click Done to apply the alterations.

Way 2. Adobe Acrobat Reader Update

Invalid or outdated software is frequently the cause of files not performing as expected. Upgrade the Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest and most recent version which will resolve the blank PDF issue.

• Startup Adobe Reader then select About Acrobat or Adobe Reader found under the Help option.
• Verify the version that you're using.
• When you head to the Adobe Reader "Downloads" on the site, it automatically recognizes your computer's operating system and reader version.
• If an updated version is accessible, select "Install Now." Follow the instructions that come with the downloaded file.

Way 3. Repair Installation

If the problem persists, you can try repairing the installation of the software. To do that,

• Open Adobe Reader and from Menu click on the Help option.
• A Repair Installation option will appear. Select it and to confirm the repair operation click on the Yes option.

Way 4. Change Preferences Setting in Adobe

Software may have preferences that are not compatible with the PDF file. As a consequence, the document opens however does not display any of its contents. The procedures needed for altering PDF preferences are as follows:

• Launch Adobe followed by selecting "Edit." In edit, opt for the Preferences option.
• At this point, go to General and uncheck the "Show online storage" selection when launching and saving documents. To access the same PDF, close Adobe and then reopen it. Certainly, it will function normally in the end.

Way 5. Download the PDF file to the Hard Drive

Using the 'save' or ' save target as' choices allows you to save a duplicate of the document to your computer's hard drive. Now, select and open it in Acrobat Reader or a different PDF software to see if the recently saved PDF file is empty or carries data and is not a blank PDF download or did not download an empty PDF.

Way 6. Restore the Blank PDF from Its Initial Version

If you happen to have an extra copy of your PDF files, you might be able to restore a blank document PDF to the prior version. This is how to do it:

• For access to the File Explorer window, tap the Windows + E key combinations. Then click right on the PDF and choose Properties.
• The Previous Versions tab should show every prior version associated with the file.

Way 7. Verify the Accuracy of the Web Server

A blank page PDF could be caused by a glitch in the website's server. As an outcome in such cases, you need to launch the PDF file from Adobe's web page. A good way to check is to see if Adobe Reader on the official website of Adobe properly presents a PDF file; if so, the issue is in the server itself.

Part 3: What are the Potential Causes of Blank Page PDFs?

Because PDF includes multiple safety precautions to safeguard contents from unauthorized access, it often includes sensitive information. What if it fails to open or the display goes black? A large number of individuals claimed that Adobe Acrobat Reader provided a signature black screen error, preventing people from accessing the content.

1. The system's attempt to access and demonstrate the data on the corrupted file fails, which leads to a black screen.
2. The black screen shows up as a result of the missing plug-ins needed to view the file type.
3. Opening a PDF file with a decades-old version of the application could cause complications with compatibility, such as a black screen because the previous version of the application has difficulty handling updated file types and specifications.
4. Computer malware or a virus may trigger a variety of difficulties in the system, including issues with PDF files. If a PDF file gets corrupted with viruses or malware, it may result in delivery issues such as a black screen.
5. A blank PDF document download is possible simply because of a network outage, disk space issues, or other reasons.

Bonus: How to Create a Blank Document PDF?

To generate blank document PDF file types with Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor, simply comply with the instructions outlined as follows:

• Start PDFelement from your computer's desktop. Now, navigate to the menu bar to select "File". Following that click "Blank PDF" after selecting the "Create" option. A blank document PDF has been created.

• Select "Edit" from the menu bar and enter the "Edit" mode. After that, decide on the text to be edited and enter the content to be replaced. You may additionally alter the font size along with other settings as needed.

• To save the file, select "Save As" from the "File" menu. Save the Image name as desired and select the "Save" option. Your file has been successfully saved.

Conclusion

When working with PDF format documents, corruption of a PDF document is among the common problems an individual might have to face at some point in time, irrespective of what caused the damage. There’s always a solution to every problem. The purpose of the blog was to help the users that the problem of a ‘PDF is blank when opened’ is solvable. We have managed to share in detail as many solutions to the problem as possible.

If you ask us, we would blindly recommend Wondershare Repairit File Repair as an ultimate and complete solution to your PDF-related issues and others as well. Wondershare Repairit File Repair not only fixes the damaged and corrupted PDFs but manages to protect and secure the documents as well.