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.
- Why Won't Adobe Reader Download On My Mac
- Why Won't Adobe Download On My Mac
- Why Won't Creative Cloud Download
Adobe Flash Player is a free software plug-in used by web browsers to view multimedia, execute rich Internet applications, and stream video on your Mac. Adobe Flash Player is the most popular multimedia player plug-in available. However, recently there have been security concerns which has threatened its popularity as users seek safer alternative solutions. Navigate to Applications/Utilities/Adobe Installer and look for CC desktop, if present run the uninstaller to uninstall it. Navigate to Applications/Utilities and look for Adobe Application Manager folder and Creative cloud folder. If present move to trash and empty it.
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 You are using an outdated PDF Reader.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.
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.
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.
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.
![Why won Why won](/uploads/1/1/8/6/118600746/619998931.jpg)
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
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.
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.
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By the simple virtue of browsing the web over the years, nearly all of us have seen a variety of pop-ups asking us to download or upgrade Flash Player for Mac. Usually, there’s little explanation involved, which leaves you thinking, “Do I really need to install Adobe Flash Player on Mac?”
Adobe Flash is a proprietary software that started in the late ‘90s as a way to include advanced interactivity, gaming functionality, and video capability into your browser. By the early 2000s, Flash was supported by every major browser and seemingly ran the internet. That is until Steve Jobs himself declared a war on it.
In a press release published by Apple in 2010, Steve Jobs laid out his reasons for not integrating Adobe Flash in the Safari browser by default. His main criticisms of the platform were its closed proprietary nature, slow updates, weak security, and increasing availability of open standards that were arguably better equipped to handle browser interactivity.
For a long time, Adobe Flash security issues were the primary reason most developers discouraged people from installing the application. As you may have noticed, oftentimes Adobe Flash Player download for Mac pop-ups haunt you on the least trustworthy websites. It’s highly likely that those were hackers using Adobe Flash installers to find a way into your system.
Fortunately, in the last 10 years, the popularity of Adobe Flash has decreased significantly. By now, 95% of all websites have switched to the open HTML5 standard. This even includes all the major video companies, such as Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, and YouTube. In fact, the popularity of the Flash technology has declined so much now that Adobe decided to end its Flash support in 2020.
So is Adobe Flash Player safe? Generally, yes, given that you download Flash Player for Mac from Adobe’s official website. And sometimes there is no way around installing Flash as you might still need it to run that lagging 5% of the web properly. Whatever the reason, below we’ll discuss how to manage Adobe Flash safely and securely.
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How To Install Adobe Flash Player On Mac
If you absolutely need to download Adobe Flash Player for Mac, you should at the very least do it securely. Good tips to note are install Flash only when required, disable it when not in use, update it regularly to get the latest security patches, and delete it completely as soon as you can make the full switch to more modern web technologies.
Safely install Adobe Flash Player on Mac
If there would be only one takeaway from reading this article, it should be: never ever download Flash Player for Mac from unrecognized websites.
Using Macs in general is very safe. But by far the most popular way for hackers to get into your system is to persuade you to download malware that’s masking itself as a well-known program. And Flash Player for Mac tops the list, having the worst security record out of any software. Moreover, Adobe Flash is the number one reason Macs crash overall.
So when you are about to install Adobe Flash Player on Mac, you should:
- Go to get.adobe.com/flashplayer (this is the only official Flash Player for Mac distributor)
- Click “Download now”
- Navigate to your Downloads folder and open the .dmg file
- Proceed through the installation instructions
- Restart the browser, after which Adobe Flash Player for Mac should be activated
Update Adobe Flash Player for Mac regularly
Once you have Flash Player installed, you need to remember to update it regularly (e.g. once a month) to avoid any security issues. To check whether there’s a new version of Flash available:
- Open System Preferences
- Click on the Flash Player and navigate to the Updates tab
- Select Check Now or Install Now if there’s an update available
Disable Flash when not in use
When you encounter a website that doesn’t work properly without Flash, proceed to install the player from the official (very important) website as per the steps above. But for complete security, turn off Flash right after you use it and enable it only when there’s no workaround.
To disable Flash Player for Mac in Safari:
- Go to Preferences and then Websites
- Scroll down to Plug-ins and uncheck the Adobe Flash Player
Similarly, disabling Flash can be done in Content Settings in Chrome and Addons > Plugins in Firefox.
Completely uninstall Flash Player for Mac
There’s a lot of confusion with regards to deleting Flash Player. As we’ve seen, when you download Flash Player for Mac, it doesn’t install itself as an app, but rather integrates into your System Preferences.
Hence removing Flash Player is not as easy as just dragging it to the Trash. Adobe has a whole page devoted to the uninstallation process and makes you download a separate tool to delete Flash properly.
To remove Flash Player the Adobe way:
Why Won't Adobe Reader Download On My Mac
- Download the uninstaller for your macOS
- Launch it as any app and follow the instructions
- Restart your Mac
However, due to the Flash Player’s pervasive presence on your Mac, it’s highly recommended that you use a professional third-party uninstaller like CleanMyMac X.
Get a pro uninstaller for Mac
With CleanMyMac X, unneeded software and junk will be gone from your computer in a single cleanup. An all-mighty cleaner that deserves your attention.
To uninstall Adobe Flash Player on Mac with CleanMyMac X:
- Navigate to the Uninstaller tab
- Select Adobe from Vendors
- Check the box next to Flash Player and click Uninstall
Recover files lost to Flash Player
Sometimes you simply can’t prevent the malware from getting into your system. And most of the time you only realize that infiltration happened after the fact, when you discover some of your files completely gone.
Good news is you might be able to recover your files if you act quickly. As soon as you notice any files missing, install a professional Mac recovery app like Disk Drill and follow this process:
- Launch Disk Drill app from Applications
- Find your hard drive in the list and click Recover
- Choose one of the recommended options, from disabling system protection to connecting another Mac, to allow Disk Drill to recover lost files
Finally, to stop compromised apps or files from getting into your system, use a malware protection utility in CleanMyMac X on a regular basis.
To scan your Mac for viruses with CleanMyMac X:
- Select the Malware Removal tab
- Click Scan
- Delete anything suspicious that shows up in the report
Overall, there are very few reasons to download Flash Player for Mac today. Nearly all modern websites have switched to community-supported standards like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. But if you need to use Flash, make sure to download it from the official source and turn it off when not required to protect yourself from its security flaws.
In addition, make sure you’re fully protected from any worst-case scenarios by checking for malware with CleanMyMac X and recovering lost files with Disk Drill. And if you use Google Chrome, you can avoid Adobe Flash Player download for Mac altogether as it comes pre-installed in the browser.
Don’t feel like spending money on buying all the professional apps? Both CleanMyMac X and Disk Drill are available for you to try for free, along with more than 150 high-end Mac apps and utilities, through Setapp — the best platform for curated Mac apps. Adobe Flash might be on its way out, but in the meantime, you should definitely verify that you’ve been using it responsibly all this time.
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