Many reasons will lead to the issue of “can't open a PDF attachment”. Follow our steps to easily fix it and recover your lost PDF files.
Why can't I open PDF files directly from my email? When I try, Windows 10 asks me to save the file. When I try to open the file after saving it, I get offered choices that do not include Adobe or Edge and frequently can't open them. Please advise.
- Question from Microsoft Community
If you're trying to open a PDF attachment on a Windows computer but it fails, it may be due to several reasons. For example, Windows 10 might not have a default app set to open PDFs. You can try setting your PDF reader (such as Adobe Acrobat or Edge) as the default. Or otherwise, your PDF reader might be outdated or corrupted. Sometimes, the email program itself (like Outlook or Mail) may have trouble previewing or opening attachments.
However, the two most likely reasons for a PDF attachment not opening are as follows:
The files were saved locally but were accidentally deleted.
If the files were downloaded to a USB or external drive and then deleted, they often don’t go to the Recycle Bin. Where do deleted files go? Instead, they’re typically marked as "deleted" directly on the drive. In such cases, you can't open a PDF attachment.
When you can't open a PDF attachment, the 3 fixes can help you. You can set the right configuration, recover corrupted PDF files, or recover the deleted PDF attachment from external hard drives with ease.
Without a default app, Windows may attempt to open PDFs with an incompatible or non-existent program, which can cause errors. Setting a specific app (like Adobe Acrobat or Edge) as the default ensures the PDF opens in a compatible program.
To Set the Default App: Right-click a PDF file, select Open with > Choose another app, choose the app you prefer (like Adobe Acrobat or Edge), check Always use this app to open .pdf files, and click OK.
When your PDF file is corrupted, you can try to repair it using Adobe Acrobat. Like other software, your PDF reader also needs regular updates to ensure it functions normally. The first thing you should do is update your Adobe Acrobat to the latest version. You are allowed to check whether you need to update it by clicking Help > Check for Updates on the top toolbar, and then follow the on-screen instructions to update it.
Additionally, you can also repair corrupted PDF files by using the Repair Installation option under Help in Acrobat. By selecting this option, you can reinstall the software on your computer and reset all the preferences. The corrupted PDF file might be repaired during the process. After repairing the installation, try opening the damaged PDF. If you cannot open it, move on to the next method.
As explained earlier, if the files were downloaded to a USB or external drive and then deleted, they’re typically marked as "deleted" directly on the drive. In such cases, you can't open PDF attachment. Luckily, professional data recovery software allows you to easily recover any lost data from various external hard drives.
AOMEI FastRecovery is an easy-to-use data recovery tool suitable for beginners. It simplifies file recovery, making it accessible for users with minimal computer experience.
The software can restore files from damaged, formatted, or corrupted external hard drives. It effectively recovers various file types from multiple storage devices and works with Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, 7, and Windows Server. It can recover lost documents, images, emails, and more from USB drives, HDDs, SD cards, SSDs, and other storage media.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data is lost and click Scan.
Step 2. Then, the recovery tool starts to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first to find your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.
Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".
Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.
Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovery to end.
By following our instructions, it is easy to fix the issues when you can't open a PDF attachment. AOMEI FastRecovery can also recover old emails from years ago if you want to find the original PDF attachment in the email. This powerful software also can recover unsaved Word documents, or cope with the situation where the Excel file disappeared after saving, and so on.