---
id: KB-PR-015
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/troubleshooting/the-document-will-not-open-or-looks-wrong
idioma: en
categoria: problemas
audiencia: usuario
nivel: basico
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-PR-005, KB-DI-003]
citadoPor: [KB-PR-013]
---

# The document will not open or looks wrong

_Five causes, from the silliest to the most awkward, and what to do about each._

**Responde a:** cannot open an uploaded pdf · the document displays black · corrupt file what do i do · pdf will not load in the browser

A document that will not open creates instant distrust in the system, and it is hardly ever the system's fault. These are the five causes, in the order worth ruling them out.

## The five causes

| Cause | How to recognise it | Solution |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The file was already broken | It will not open on the sender's computer either | Ask them to regenerate it |
| It is password protected | It asks for a key or shows blank | Ask for an unprotected version |
| An unusual format | Rare extension or from one specific program | Convert to PDF before uploading |
| A browser problem | It opens when downloaded but not on screen | Download; and try another browser |
| It looks wrong but is fine | Inverted colours, very dark, rotated | That is the scan, not the file |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The second is commoner than expected with official and banking documents: they arrive protected and the sender does not even remember. A protected PDF can be stored, but it cannot be read for data extraction or content search.

## What to do before going back to them

1. **Try downloading it** — Many cases are display problems, not file problems.
2. **Ask whether it opens for the sender** — One message rules out 40% of cases.
3. **And check the size** — A few-kilobyte file that should be several megabytes arrived incomplete.

> [!WARNING]
> Do not delete the original even if it seems useless. If the file is corrupt, the file itself is evidence that you were sent something illegible on that date, and sometimes that is the information that matters.

## What prevents most of them

**En corto**

- Ask for PDF wherever possible instead of program-specific formats.
- Reject password-protected files in the request, not afterwards.
- And say that scans should be taken straight on and well lit, which resolves the fifth cause entirely.

> [!NOTE]
> If the document opens but does not respond to content searches, it is not broken: it is an unread scan. That is a different thing with its own solution.

**Can I ask them to resend without annoying them?**

Yes, and say why: "it arrives illegible" is understood without difficulty.

**What if the original no longer exists?**

Keep what you have and note the circumstance; sometimes it is all there is.

**Are there formats it will not accept?**

The usual ones are fine; for anything unusual, converting to PDF is safest.

## Ejemplos

**A team writes off a certificate that will not open.**

- Notices it is 4 KB and asks for it to be resent

→ Gets the complete file the same day instead of raising a technical incident.

**The PDF opens blank in one particular viewer.**

- Opens it in another viewer to compare

→ You learn whether the problem is the file or the program.

**The document is password protected.**

- Asks the supplier for an unprotected version

→ The document can be read and processed.

**A scan comes out rotated and cannot be read.**

- Rotates it and uploads again

→ Automatic reading works first time.

**The file was corrupted on upload.**

- Uploads it again from the original

→ An incomplete upload is ruled out before reporting.

**An old format does not display correctly.**

- Converts it to a standard format

→ The document looks the same for everyone.