When you try to open or save a PDF file, Adobe Acrobat may sometimes throw a strange error message that says there was a problem reading the document. Wait for a few seconds, and try again. If the issue persists, follow the troubleshooting steps below to solve the problem.
Adobe Acrobat: There Was a Problem Reading This Document
Use an Alternative PDF Viewer
If you’re getting this error when you try to open a PDF file, you can use an alternative program to view it. For example, you can use your browser. Both Chrome and Edge support this functionality. Of course, the PDF viewer available on your browser doesn’t support advanced features.
Go to the next solution to fix the problematic file. Most likely, your PDF file got corrupted. Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the OK button in the error window to get a more technical explanation of this issue.
Extract Pages
Use the option that allows you to extract specific pages from the problematic document, and check if Adobe Acrobat can read those pages.
Go to the Tools menu, and select Organize Pages. Then, click on Extract Pages, and select the pages you want to extract to create a new document. Click on Save As and check if you’re still getting the same error message.
Print to PDF
If extracting your files fails to solve the problem, try printing to PDF. To do that, click on the File menu, and select Print. Then, select the Print to PDF option and check if you can save the document.
Export to PostScript
Try exporting the problematic file to PostScript. Click on Tools, and select Export PDF. Select the problematic file, tick the PostScript option in the right-hand pane, and hit the Export button.
Create a New Document
Press Ctrl and A to select all the text in the document. Then, open a new file and press Ctrl and P to paste the text into the new document. Press Ctrl and S, and check if you can save the new file.
Conclusion
If Adobe Acrobat Reader cannot read a document, use an alternative PDF viewer. To fix the problematic file, extract its pages to a new document. You can also use the “Print to PDF” or “Export to PostScript” options to get the job done. Alternatively, you can simply copy the text from the problematic document into a new file.
Did you manage to solve the problem? Hit the comments below and let us know which method worked for you.
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