several ios and ipados users reported that they cannot open or view pdf files on iphone or ipad. for example, users have reported that they couldn’t open pdf attachments in mail when trying to open them.
your iphone or ipad is designed to open pdf files automatically. you don’t need to install any additional application to read them.
If you have this problem, it may be a major problem for you. This is because PDF files are one of the most common file types that are commonly used all over the world. We often send or receive a large number of PDF files on a daily basis for business or personal purposes. it’s important that you fix this problem quickly.
Before we begin, it is important to identify if the problematic pdf document is corrupted. Do you have this problem with all pdf documents or with a certain pdf document? If you have this problem with some pdf documents, it is possible that those pdf documents are corrupted. these files cannot be opened if they are damaged. maybe the pdf file you couldn’t open was not downloaded correctly. you may want to get (re-download etc) the file again. For example, if you can’t open a pdf email attachment, ask the sender to send it again. If you are sure the pdf files are not corrupted and if you are still having problems, continue.
pdf files won’t open on ipad and iphone
after trying each of the solutions below, check if it solved your problem.
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1. make sure your ios device is up to date. you can update your device wirelessly. on your device, go to settings > generals > software update. your device will check for updates and if one is available, touch download and install.
2. restart your device. here’s how:
Note that you can also turn off your device by going to settings > generals > turn off.
- iphone x or 11: Press and hold the side and volume up or down buttons until you see the power off slider, then slide the slider. this will turn off your device. wait about 30 seconds. and then turn on your iphone by pressing the side button until you see the apple logo.
- other iphone models: press and hold the side or top button until you see the red power off slider. then slide the slider to turn off your device. wait about 30 seconds, and then press and hold the side or top buttons to start your device.
- ipad models with face identification: press and hold the volume up or down button and the side button together until you see the off slider. then drag the slider and wait about 30 seconds. hold the top button until you see the apple logo to reboot your ipad.
- ipad with home buttons: hold the top button until you see the red slider. then drag the slider and wait about 30 seconds. hold the top button to reboot your ipad.
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3. force restart your device. this is also called a soft reset, but don’t worry. this process does not remove anything. here’s how:
- ipad models with face id and iphone 8 or later models: press and release the volume up button and then press and release the volume down button and then press and hold the side button or hold the power button until you see the apple logo .
- iphone 7 models: press and hold the side and volume down buttons until your iphone restarts.
- ipad with button iPhone Home and Other Modes (iPhone 6s and earlier): Press and hold the Home and Side buttons until the device reboots.
4. some third party applications can cause this problem. This troublesome app can act as a default PDF reader, preventing you from opening your PDF files. you may need to find and remove the problematic app. The following applications are known to cause this pdf issue. if you have any of them on your iphone or ipad, uninstall it, then reboot your device and try again:
- alibaba
- aliexpress
- centrelink
- winzip
on your iphone or ipad, you may have another app that is causing the problem. what you can do is try to uninstall your apps one by one until you find the problematic app. start uninstall recently downloaded apps one by one. after removing each app, test to see if you can open the pdf file. once you find and remove the app, you can reinstall the other apps you uninstalled.
5. If you’re having this problem with email attachments (for example, you can’t open pdf attachments), you can try the following:
- Try the web version of the email account. For example, if it’s an icloud account, go to icloud.com and sign in with your apple id password, check your email there and see if you can open the pdf file. if it’s a gmail account, go to gmail.com etc.
- You can also try to remove the email account from your device and then add it again. first, delete your account by going to settings > passwords & accounts choose the email account you want to delete, touch delete account. restart your device and then add your account again. go to settings > passwords and accounts > add account.
did it solve your problem? if now, you can contact apple. you can also report a problem to apple.
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