Try These Ways to Fix the “Format Error: Not a PDF or Corrupted” Error

Some people report that they encounter the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error on their computer. This error bothers them a lot. Have you also run into this error? Don’t worry. This post provides a full guide to fix it.

What Causes the “Format Error: Not a PDF or Corrupted” Error

What causes the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error? After investigating extensive user reports and posts, I find that the error can mainly be caused by these reasons:

• Virus infections
• Damaged Adobe Reader.
• Outdated version of Adobe PDF Reader
• Due to the network issue
• Issue with your Browser
• The file got corrupted
• Abrupt application/system shutdown
• Improper download
• Incompatible third-party software interaction

How to Fix the “Format Error: Not a PDF or Corrupted” Error

How to fix the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error? In this section, I summarize some useful methods to fix the error. You can try these methods one by one until you fix the error successfully.

Method 1. Redownload the PDF File

If you have received a PDF file showing an error via email, there is a possibility that something went wrong during the decoding process. It is recommended that you permanently delete the file from your system and download it again.

Similarly, if you have downloaded or transferred the PDF file from another source, there is a chance that the process was incomplete, resulting in a broken file. In this case as well, it is advised to delete the file permanently and download it again.

Method 2. Repair Adobe Acrobat Reader

If you receive the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error while using Adobe Reader to open the PDF file, you can suspect that there is something wrong with the Adobe Acrobat Reader app. In this situation, you can try repairing Adobe Reader to fix the error:

Step 1. Press the Win + S keys simultaneously to open the Search window, type “control panel” in the search box and press Enter.

Step 2. In the Control Panel window, set View by as Large icons, and then select Programs and Features from the feature list.

Step 3. Go to the Adobe Acrobat, right-click it, and select Change.

Step 4. Click Next in the pop-up window. Then, select the Repair option and click Next.

Step 5. Click Update in the next window. Next, wait for the process to complete. Click Finish to confirm, and then check if the error has been resolved.

Method 3. Reinstall Adobe Acrobat Reader

If repairing the Adobe Acrobat Reader is still unable to help you fix the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error, you can try reinstalling the app to fix the error. To do that, you can just open the Programs and Features window again, right-click Adobe Acrobat Reader, and select Uninstall. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Once done, go to Adobe official website to download the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader installation package, install it to your PC.

Method 4. Use an Alternative App

If none of the above methods can help you fix the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error, you can try using an alternative app – MiniTool PDF Editor. It is a professional PDF editor that can help you view and do many editing works on PDF files.

Besides, this multifunctional tool can also help you make conversions between different file formats, such as PDF/A to PDF, HEIC to image, PDF to Excel, and more.

After downloading and installing this app on your computer, you can follow the steps below to view and edit PDF files:

MiniTool PDF EditorClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch MiniTool PDF Editor to enter its main interface on your computer.

Step 2. Click Open from the left panel, select the PDF you want to view and edit in the pop-up window, and then click Open.

Step 3. Then, you can view the PDF file in MiniTool PDF Editor.

Step 4. If you want to edit a PDF file, you can go to the Edit tab and click Edit All. After that, you can edit the text and image of the PDF as you like.

To Sum Up

How to fix the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error? This post analyzes the possible causes of the “Format Error: not a PDF or corrupted” error and provides some useful methods to fix it. If you encounter the same error, you can try the mentioned methods.