Can every PDF be repaired?

No. If the bytes containing a page are physically missing, nothing can restore them. The tool tells you exactly how much survives instead of pretending.

Why does salvage mode lose the text layer?

It re-renders pages as images, which is the only option when the underlying text objects are unreadable. Content is preserved even though searchability is not.

My file is encrypted — what now?

Unlock it with its password first using Unlock PDF, then repair the decrypted copy.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. Every operation runs inside your browser tab using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Nothing is transmitted to MyToolyard or any third party, and nothing is stored after you close the tab.

Is there a file size or page limit?

There is no artificial limit — the practical ceiling is your device's memory. Files up to roughly 100MB are comfortable on a modern laptop; very large scanned documents are best processed in smaller batches.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes. The interface is fully responsive and touch-friendly. Very large documents will be slower on mobile because processing uses the device's own CPU and memory.

Repair PDF

Check a damaged PDF for the usual causes of failure, then rebuild it from whatever pages can still be read.

No training on your data
Region: global

Drop a broken PDF

Click, drag or paste — diagnosis and repair run on your device

PDF & DocumentsOptimise & Secure

Repair PDF — Overview

About this tool

What is Repair PDF?

Repair PDF diagnoses why a PDF will not open and then rebuilds whatever can still be read into a fresh, valid document.

It checks the specific things that actually break PDFs: a missing or offset `%PDF` header, a truncated file with no `%%EOF` marker, an unreadable cross-reference table and individual pages that fail to parse.

Two recovery routes are offered — a structural rebuild that copies surviving pages into a clean file, and an image salvage that re-renders anything the reader can still draw when the structure is beyond repair.

What it does

What does Repair PDF do?

A clear diagnosis before any repair attempt:

Header, end-marker and linearisation checks
Per-page parse test that names the unreadable pages
Encryption detection with a pointer to the Unlock tool
Structural rebuild that preserves selectable text
Image salvage mode as an explicit last resort
Honest reporting of how many pages were recovered

How to use

How to use Repair PDF

1
Drop the broken PDF
The file is inspected immediately and a diagnosis card lists what is wrong.
2
Read the diagnosis
See which pages survive, whether the file was truncated and whether encryption is blocking access.
3
Rebuild or salvage
Start with the structural rebuild. If it fails, salvage as images to at least save the visible content.

Good to know

Privacy & cost

This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or saved on our servers — safe for confidential or proprietary data.

Use cases & scenarios

Where it fits

Interrupted downloads

A file cut off mid-transfer usually loses its end marker. A rebuild recovers everything that arrived.

Failed exports

Documents produced by a crashing printer driver or export job often have a damaged page index that can be rewritten.

Recovering from old media

Files pulled off failing drives may lose scattered pages — recovering the rest still beats losing the document.

Value & benefits

Why people pick this tool

✓Free forever — no page caps, watermarks, sign-ups or premium tier
✓100% in-browser processing — your documents never touch a server
✓Works offline once the page has loaded, ideal for confidential files
✓No queues or waiting rooms — the work happens at the speed of your device

Frequently asked questions

FAQs

Final thoughts

The bottom line

A corrupt PDF usually feels like total loss, when in fact most of the document is still sitting in the file. A diagnosis plus a rebuild recovers it in seconds — and without emailing a damaged, possibly sensitive file to a recovery service.