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Fix: There was an Error Opening This Document Access Denied

Everything you need to view your old and new PDF files

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Sometimes you might encounter There was anerroropening this document access denied message. This issue can be pretty annoying since you won’t be able to view the desired document, but there’s a way to fix it.

This guide has gathered the best solutions to help you get yourfavorite PDF readerworking as it should.

Why am I getting There was an error opening this document message?

There are a series of factors that can cause There was an error opening this document error message. Below are some of the notable ones:

Speaking of this issue, below are some of its variations, as reported by users:

How do I fix There was an error opening this document?

Listed below are some troubleshooting steps to try before proceeding to the solutions in this section:

If this does not solve the issue, you can delve into the fixes below:

1. Disable Protected Mode in Adobe Reader

According to users,There was anerroropening this document access deniedcan appear in Adobe Reader when trying to view certain PDF documents. The Protected Mode mode in Adobe Reader usually causes this issue.

This can be useful since somePDF documentsmight be malicious. Therefore it’s good to have this feature enabled. But in this case, you need to disable it temporarily to get past this error.

2. Update Adobe Reader

Sometimes, There was an error opening this document this file cannot be found caused by an outdated app. You can check for and install updates within the Adobe Acrobat app.

3. Reinstall Adobe Reader

Sometimes There was anerroropening this document access denied can appear if your Adobe Reader installation is corrupted. In this case, you should uninstall and reinstall the app.

If you want to uninstall an application for good and remove all its files and registry entries, we suggest using dedicated software such asCCleaner.

Using this software, you can uninstall and then delete registry entries associated with Adobe Reader, so it will be as if the application was never installed.

⇒Get CCleaner

4. Disable antivirus temporarily

There was an error opening this document. The file cannot be accessed by the system error message can be caused by interference from your antivirus.

While it is not advisable to disable your antivirus, you can do it temporarily if you trust the file you are trying to open.

5. Add a folder path

If you are getting Adobe Reader – there was an error opening this document. Although the path does not exist error message, you can add the folder path as a privileged location. With this, you should be able to access the files in that folder.

6. Try out a different PDF reader

If you keep gettingThere was anerroropening this document access deniedin Adobe Reader; you should consider switching to a differentPDFreader.

There are many greatPDFreaders besides Adobe Reader, and if you’re looking for a new tool for readingPDF files, we strongly suggest you try outIcecream PDF Editor.

It is lightweight and fast, but most importantly, it is very good at doing the job it was designed to do, which is pretty much all that matters.

This PDF reader is straightforward, providing a similar user experience to Adobe, making the transition smooth. Plus, it includes intuitive editing tools to manage everything PDF-related from one place.

With this, we can end this detailed guide on fixing There was an error opening this document error message. You should now be able to get rid of the message for good if you follow the steps in this guide carefully.

IfAdobe Acrobat Reader keeps crashing on your PC, check our detailed guide to fix and restore normalcy.

Don’t hesitate to let us know the solution that worked for you in the comments below.

More about the topics:Adobe Acrobat Reader,PDF

Milan Stanojevic

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.

Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.

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Milan Stanojevic

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.