Why Cant I Download Pdfs Anymore On Mac

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  • I´ve been working with the same document in Acrobat Reader for a while, using the tools with comments etc. And I never had any problems saving, but suddenly I can't save. When pressing 'save' I see a dialogue box saying 'save as', but it's all empty so I can't continue. I have tried 'repair installa.
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Find the link of the file you want to save (you may need to go back to the previous page to find it) Press the Control (ctrl) key and click on the link; When the option menu appears, choose “Download link to disk” or “Download linked file”. Choose the location on your computer where you would like to store the file.

Most people prefer to share their documents in the PDF format since it is more accessible on almost every platform and operating system. In some instances, however, you may find that PDF won’t open on your computer. If you do not know how to fix the “PDF won’t open” issue, you may end up getting frustrated.

In this article, we have all the solutions you can use when you can’t open PDF. Before we show you the solutions, let’s see some of the reasons your PDF won’t open.

Related Read: How to Open PDF in a Word Document?

WhyPDF Won’t Open on Your Computer

The Reasons Why you Can’t open PDF documents on your computer:

  • 1. You are using an outdated PDF Reader.
  • 2. If you can’t open PDF via Adobe Reader, the file you are trying to open could be a non-Adobe document – while it could be a PDF, it could have been created using a different third-party application whose format is not supported by Adobe Reader.
  • 3. The PDF file is damaged or corrupted.
  • 4. Some of the PDF Reader application files are corrupt.
  • 5. The PDF Reader is installed improperly.
  • 6. The PDF file is not recognizable – Your computer uses the .pdf extension to know that the document is a PDF and to determine the application to use in order to open it. If your document was sent via the email, the .pdf extension could have been stripped away. This will make the document unrecognizable.

What to Do when PDF Won’t Open?

1. EnsureYou Have a PDF Reader on Your Computer

In some cases, your PDF documents will not openbecause you have not installed an ideal PDF reader on your computer. If a PDFreader is lacking on your computer, the only ideal solution to “can’t open PDF”issue is to install a reader. The steps below should help you implement thissolution:

Step 1:Visit https://get.adobe.com/reader/ and download Adobe Reader(this is one of the best PDF Readers).

Step 2: Once you download the installer,simply click on it and then follow the onscreen instructions to complete theinstallation process.

Step 3: After installing the program, test tosee whether your PDF opening issue is gone. To do this, locate a PDF file,right-click on it > choose Open With… > Select Adobe Reader. Yourdocument should open. If it does not open, move on to the next solution.

Note

If you already have Adobe Reader onyour computer, it could be outdated. As noted earlier on, an outdated PDF viewer could be the reason you can’t open PDF. Reinstalling the Adobe Reader should help you update it to the latest version.

2. AssociatePDF Files with Adobe Reader

You could be dealing with the PDF won’t openissue because Adobe Acrobat Reader is not your default PDF viewer. Byassociating the files which have the .pdf extension with Adobe Reader, you maybe able to get rid of the PDF not opening issue.

On Windows10

Step 1:Click the Windows Start button and then choose Settings.

Step 2:On the Settings Window, select Apps.

Step 3:Under Apps and Features, choose Default Apps on the left-hand column.

Step 4:Scroll down to “Choose default apps by file type”.

Step 5:Locate the PDF file type and then hit the “+ Choose a default” option whichshould be available to the right.

Step 6:After hitting the plus icon (+), select Adobe Reader as the default PDF viewer.

On macOS

Step 1:Locate a PDF file on your Mac and select it. Control-click the file to open themenu and then select Get Info.

Step 2:From the “Open with:” section, select the Adobe Reader as the default PDFviewer.

Step 3:Hit the Change All button and then click Continue on the subsequent dialog box.

Why Cant I Download Pdfs Anymore On Mac Os

3. Replacethe nppdf32.dll File if You Can’t Open PDF in Firefox

If it is impossible for you to open a PDF file inthe Firefox browser, replacing the nppdf32.dll extension should help youeliminate your issue. The following steps should show you how to do this:

Step 1:Close Firefox.

Step 2:Go to c:program filesmozilla firefoxplugins and delete nppdf32.dll.

Why Cant I Download Pdfs Anymore On Mac Windows 10

Step 3:Visit c:program filesAdobeReader 8.0ReaderBrowser and search for “nppdf.”. Copy it to the folder whereyou deleted nppdf32.dll. Try to openyour PDF file again in Firefox.

Why Cant I Download Pdfs Anymore On Mac Catalina

4. How toFix PDF Won’t Open After Updating Your Windows Operating System

In some instances, updating your operatingsystem, say, from Windows 7 to 8 or 10, could make it impossible for you toopen your PDF files. If you are facing this problem, the steps we have outlinedbelow should come in handy:

Step 1:Press the Start button and then search for “Adobe Reader”. Once Adobe Readerappears, click its icon to launch it.

Step 2:Once the application opens, hit the Edit button on the left corner of the page.

Step 3:Scroll down on the page that appears and then choose Preferences.

Step 4:Tap Security Enhances. Locate Sandbox protection and then click (uncheck) thechecked box next to “protected mode at startup”.

Step 5:Save the changes. This should get rid of your issue.

5. RepairAdobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat DC

In some instances, you can’t open PDF because theresources that Acrobat Reader or Acrobat DC depend on are corrupted or damaged.You can try repairing the resources and then try to open the PDF documentagain. The steps below will help you with the repair process:

Step 1:Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or DC. Select Help > Repair Installation.

Step 2:Wait until the repair process is complete and then try to open the PDF fileagain.

6. Consider Adding a .PDF Extension to Your File

Why Cant I Download Pdfs Anymore On Mac Computer

If a PDF file does not have the .pdf extension,your operating system won’t know that it is a Portable Document Format file.The Operating System won’t even know which program is supposed to open thefile. As noted earlier on, files sent via the email may lack the extension.

The most ideal way to open a PDF file that doesnot have the .PDF extension is to add the extension. The steps below shouldhelp you add the extension to your document on Windows:

Step 1:Locate the file whose extension is missing.

Step 2:Right-click on the file and then choose Rename.

Step 3:Add the .pdf extension and then hit Enter on your keyboard.

Step 4:Next, try opening the file again.

7. Try to Fix the File If It is Corrupt

If none of the solutions we have outlined abovehave worked for you, there is a chance that the PDF file is corrupted. The mostideal way to get a corrupted PDF file to open is to first fix it. You caneither use desktop programs or online programs to fix a corrupt PDF file. Bothonline and desktop programs have their benefits and limitations.

Online programs are ideal for documents whichdon’t contain any private information. This is because once you upload thedocument to a third-party server, you won’t have the ability to control who canor cannot open the file. On the plus side, online programs are usually free.

Desktop programs should help you protect yourprivacy. However, the problem is that most of the programs require you topurchase a license.

Mac

By simply doing a simple search on a searchengine like Google, you should be able to find both online and desktop toolsfor repairing PDF files. Below, we will show you how to repair a PDF file usingan online tool known as ilovepdf.com:

Step 1:Visit https://www.ilovepdf.com/repair-pdf

Step 2: Upload the document you would like torepair – you can drag and drop the file or tap the Select PDF file button. Youcan also upload the file from Google Drive and Dropbox.

Step 3: The tool will attempt to repair yourPDF file. Once the repair process is complete, you can go ahead and downloadthe document and try to open it again.

Summary

Ifyou can’t open PDF on your computer, this article has solutions you can use toget the PDF documents to open. As noted at the beginning of this article, thereare different reasons why PDF files may not open on a computer. Sincepinpointing which reason is behind the “PDF won’t open” issue may not be possible,you should try all the solutions we have outlined above.

Mail User Guide

In the Mail app on your Mac, if you’re certain you’re not receiving messages, even after clicking the Get Mail button in the Mail toolbar, try these suggestions.

  • Check whether Mail is retrieving a large message or a message with large attachments. See View Mail activity.

  • Check if you’re using filters in the message list that are preventing expected messages from being shown.

  • Try sorting messages in the message list by Date or another attribute, or searching for messages, to verify if you received them.

  • Check whether your account is offline or disabled (inactive).

  • If you’re missing emails from a specific person or group, check whether you blocked messages from them.

  • Try quitting Mail, then opening it again.

  • Choose Window > Connection Doctor, then follow any instructions in the Details column. Check for problems logging in to email accounts or with the incoming mail server, or with firewall software blocking network traffic.

    Check whether you’re affected by another firewall, such as software installed separately from macOS or built into an internet sharing router, or administered by your email account provider. Contact the appropriate person for information.

  • If you’re still having problems, contact your email account provider to verify your user name, password, incoming mail server, and other required information. Then verify the information is entered correctly in Mail account preferences.

If you’re logged in to a network using VPN, also make sure that you entered your VPN password correctly.

See alsoApple Support article: If you can’t send email on your Mac