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Billing & Subscription assistance
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I'd like to learn how / why ...
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Something doesn't work
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Speak with the Sale Rep
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I want to share feedback
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I'd like to suggest a feature
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I have a Privacy question
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Sync PDF Expert between devices
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Sync stamps and signatures
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Restore accidentally deleted files
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Enable Dark Mode
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Make PDF Expert your default PDF viewer
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How to share a file
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Other
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PDF Expert allows for keeping your files up-to-date between your iOS and macOS devices. All you need is PDF Expert installed on both platforms, access to the Internet, and any cloud storage (e.g. iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.). Files you edit on the iOS device will sync to your Mac and vice versa if you connect to the same cloud storage account on both platforms.
Learn more about synchronization in PDF Expert: https://support.readdle.com/pdfexpert/en_US/synchronization/sync-your-pdf-files-between-devices
PDF Expert for iOS supports the system-wide Dark Mode to please your eyes while working at night and help you save the battery. As for the Mac version of PDF Expert, it adjusts to the system settings, but the chosen mode doesn't affect the files themselves. Meanwhile, you can set the Night or Sepia theme to improve your reading experience on Mac.
To enjoy the Dark Mode, please make sure you have iOS 13 or iPadOS and PDF Expert version 7.2.0 or later.
Once you enable the Dark Mode in the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, PDF Expert also switches to the darkened appearance.
To turn on the Dark Mode on your device, please follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Select Display & Brightness.
- Tick Dark.
You can check whether your file is in Bin. For this, click the Bin icon in the bottom right corner. If the needed file is here, simply drag & drop it out of the Bin.
If you use Time Machine to back up your Mac, you can recover your files as described in this article. Please note that due to the design specifics of the macOS system, all files you've ever opened in PDF Expert are saved locally on your device, not in the PDF Expert app, and can be modified via the Finder app.
After the file is deleted from PDF Expert for iOS, it will be placed in the Recently Deleted folder of the PDF Expert app; you will have up to 30 days to restore deleted files.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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If your Mac is connected to the iCloud storage, try recovering the deleted files on iCloud.com as described in this article.
If you delete the file which was located in an iCloud folder of the PDF Expert app, you can also restore it on the iCloud webpage > iCloud settings > Restore files section. If the file was in a synced folder, please check the 'Recently Deleted' folder within your PDF Expert app.
Once PDF Expert is downloaded and installed on your Mac you are able to make the app your default reader for all PDF files. There is an easy way to do it:
1. Open PDF Expert, tap PDF Expert in the upper menu and select Preferences.
2. In the “Default PDF Reader” section, select PDF Expert from the list.
Afterward, every time you double-click on a PDF file in Finder, it will be automatically opened in PDF Expert.
You can easily share one or multiple documents from PDF Expert via other apps or Airdrop.
How to share a PDF file
- Launch PDF Expert and open the needed file.
- Click
at the top right and choose the way to share.
Tip: On Mac, you can also Export your PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Text, or Image documents.
- Open PDF Expert.
- Tap More ... on the file or folder you want to share.
- Select Share.
- Choose the app to share a file with. If you don’t see the desired option, scroll to the right and tap More.
You can also share a file with the nearby Apple devices using AirDrop.
If you need to share a flattened copy or only the annotated pages, please follow these steps:
- Open the desired file.
- Tap More
at the top right.
- Select Share.
- Choose the document format and tap Share.
- Select the app to share your file with.
- Open PDF Expert.
- Tap More ... on the file or folder you want to share.
- Select Share.
- Choose the app to share a file with. If you don’t see the desired option, scroll to the right and tap More.
You can also share a file with the nearby Apple devices using AirDrop.
If you need to share a flattened copy or only the annotated pages, please follow these steps:
- Open the desired file.
- Tap More
- Select Share.
- Choose the document format and tap Share.
- Select the app to share your file with.
How to share multiple PDFs at once
- Open the Finder app and select the PDFs you'd like to share. To select multiple files, press the Command key.
- Click
at the top and choose the way to share.
- Open PDF Expert.
- In the file manager, tap Select at the top right.
- Choose the files you wish to share.
- Tap Share on the sidebar.
- Select where to share the files.
- Launch PDF Expert.
- In the file manager, tap Select at the top right.
- Choose the files you wish to share.
- Tap More at the bottom.
- Select Share.
- Choose where to share the files.
Let's figure it out!
Our team is happy to help you personally - press "yes" under the question below to contact us. In the meantime, you are also welcome to check out our self-service articles:
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Annotation tools do not work
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All files in the app look blank
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Synchronization issues
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PDF Expert freezes
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PDF Expert quits or can't be opened
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File cannot be opened
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Restore accidentally deleted files
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My issue is not listed
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Yes
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No
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No, this issue occurs on my iPhone/iPad.
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Yes, it happens on Mac.
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Please contact us by following the steps below and we'll get in touch to resolve the issue:
- Open PDF Expert on your iPhone/iPad.
- Go to Settings > Support > Detailed logging toggle on.
- Reproduce the issue.
- Go to Settings > Support > Send Feedback. In the "Subject:" line, type "Blank files".
- Tap Send.
*The logs you will send us may contain sensitive personal information, so we encourage you to review them before sending them. We will, of course, treat logs as confidential information, never share them with third parties and retain them according to our Privacy Policy.*
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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It helped, thanks.
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My network connection is stable, but the issue is not resolved.
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iCloud
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Dropbox
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OneDrive for Business
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Another cloud
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Try disconnecting the cloud storage account from the PDF Expert on your iPhone/iPad:
- Go to the Connections tab on the sidebar of the PDF Expert app on your iPad (at the bottom of the screen on your iPhone).
- Find the storage account, tap three dots next to the account's name.
- Tap Delete (if some changes were not synced to the server, save the file's copy locally).
Then, connect it again and check if it helped.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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If your account uses conditional access, the admin of your organization should configure the rights for your account - you can refer to this article for the instructions.
To help us with further investigation, please also try these steps:
- Please try connecting to your account in the OneDrive app.
- Try connecting to your account in PDF Expert Settings > Connections > SharePoint tab.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Try disconnecting the cloud storage account from the PDF Expert on your iPhone/iPad:
- Go to the Connections tab on the sidebar of the PDF Expert app on your iPad (at the bottom of the screen on your iPhone).
- Find the storage account, tap three dots next to the account's name.
- Tap Delete (if some changes were not synced to the server, save the file's copy locally).
Then, connect it again and check if it helped.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Dropbox sync errors can be caused by the specific copyrighted file if its sharing is restricted by Dropbox's copyright policy.
If you sync a file and its sharing is restricted by Dropbox copyright policy, you will see an exclamation mark on the folder and
a Restricted content error on the file thumbnail. Remove the file from the folder to get rid of the error message.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Try disconnecting the cloud storage account from the PDF Expert on your iPhone/iPad:
- Go to the Connections tab on the sidebar of the PDF Expert app on your iPad (at the bottom of the screen on your iPhone).
- Find the storage account, tap three dots next to the account's name.
- Tap Delete (if some changes were not synced to the server, save the file's copy locally).
Then, connect it again and check if it helped.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Some cloud services impose special character restrictions for the names of files and folders. Using such special characters might lead to sync errors. If restricted characters are used in the titles of files and folders, you will see an exclamation mark on the folder 
and an unknown error on the file thumbnail. Please check your cloud service support section for more information on special character limitations.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Try disconnecting the cloud storage account from the PDF Expert on your iPhone/iPad:
- Go to the Connections tab on the sidebar of the PDF Expert app on your iPad (at the bottom of the screen on your iPhone).
- Find the storage account, tap three dots next to the account's name.
- Tap Delete (if some changes were not synced to the server, save the file's copy locally).
Then, connect it again and check if it helped.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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On a certain tool or action
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While loading a file
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Try restarting the app by clicking Force Quit in the Apple menu or on the app's icon in the dock. If it doesn't help, contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below. In your message, describe the issue you are experiencing with PDF Expert.
The steps are listed in order: start with the first one, see if that helps, and then continue to the next one if it doesn't.
- Force Quit the app on your device.
- Please make sure to hard reboot your iPhone or your iPad.
- Contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below. In your message to our support team, describe the issue you are experiencing with PDF Expert.
Try opening this file in the Preview app - this is a standard macOS viewer that uses the same system component as our app.
- If the file looks good in the Preview app but freezes in PDF Expert, contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below and, if possible, share the affected file with us - we're happy to help you personally. If the file's size is bigger than 8 MB, please upload it to any cloud storage service and share a link with us.
- If the file looks the same in the Preview app, the problem is file specific. Apple is likely aware of such cases and a new macOS update might fix the problem - still, if you'd like to make sure your vote is added for the fix they have registered, you may contact Apple Support.
- Check if the file contains vector graphics. These are either diagrams and graphs or the text that doesn't look blurry or pixelated even if you zoom it in drastically. Such a file can also look like a checkered background - in this case, it means that the graphics are heavy and our app needs some time to load the content.
- Try opening this PDF in the iBooks app - this is a standard iOS app that uses the same system component as we do:
- If the file looks the same in the iBooks app, the problem is file specific. We're sure that Apple is aware of such cases and a new iOS update might fix the problem - still, you may want to contact Apple Support to make sure your vote is added for the fix they have registered.
- If the file looks good in the iBooks app but freezes in PDF Expert, contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below and, if possible, share the affected file with us - we're happy to help you personally. If the file's size is bigger than 8 MB, please upload it to any cloud storage service and share a link with us.
First, reboot your device:
- Before rebooting your device, try to Force Quit the app on your device.
- If the restart doesn't help, please reboot your iPhone or your iPad.
Another temporary solution would be the following:
- Try disabling iCloud for PDF Expert: open iOS settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive > disable PDF Expert toggle.
- Enable the Airplane mode.
Note: If you're unable to access your files in PDF Expert, you can access them in the Files app > PDF Expert location.
If none of it helps, please send us the crash logs by following the steps below - we're happy to help you personally.
- Open the iOS Settings app > Privacy > scroll down and tap Analytics > Analytics data.
- Find the latest PDF Expert crash log and send it at rdsupport@readdle.com. In your message, describe the issue. In the subject line, type "PDF Expert crashes". We will get back to you as soon as we can.
- If the app can be launched, check if you're running the latest version on your Mac App Store account > Updates.
- If the app crashes upon launch, restart the app by clicking Force Quit on the app's icon in the dock.
If none of it helps, please send us the logs at rdsupport@readdle.com by following the steps below - we're happy to help you personally.
- Try to Force Quit the app using the Apple Menu > Force Quit > PDF Expert.
- Choose to generate the log for Apple.
- Copy the log using the CMD+A combination.
- Paste the log to the email body. In your message, also describe the issue. In the subject line, type "PDF Expert crashes".
- Click Send.
Note: Since PDF Expert for Mac doesn't have a folder structure, all your files are safely stored on your computer and can be opened with any other PDF viewer app, for instance, the Preview app.
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File changes made in PDF Expert are not visible in a third-party app
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File looks blurry
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Printing issues on Mac
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Other
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Follow the steps to fix file-specific issues.
- Launch PDF Expert and open your PDF.
- Go to the File section.
- Select Print > Save as PostScript.
- Open your new file in the Preview app.
- Select Print.
- Select Export as PDF.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Try printing the file in the Preview app. If you're using a printer with system drivers and if you have trouble printing a file - e.g. some of the elements are printed in black, something is absent on the page or the file can't be printed at all, the reason might be related to the system. PDF Expert uses the macOS system printing, thus we're always suggesting that you try printing the same file in the Preview app since this app uses the same system component as ours in terms of printing.
- If the file can't be printed or prints erratically from the Preview app as well, the problem is most likely on the system's side, and we hope this might be fixed with a macOS update. However, you can contact Apple Support just to make sure that your vote for this fix is registered.
- If the file can't be printed in PDF Expert, but prints just fine in the Preview app, please contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below and we'll get in touch to resolve the issue. We would also appreciate it if you could send us the affected file. If it's bigger than 8 MB, please upload it to any cloud storage service and share a link with us.
First, keep the file open for a while to see if it loads in the end.
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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If it doesn't help, try opening this file in the Preview app - this is a standard macOS viewer that uses the same system component as our app:
- If the file looks the same in the Preview app, the problem is file-specific. We're sure that Apple is aware of such cases if any and a new macOS update might fix the problem - still, you may want to contact Apple Support to make sure your vote is added for the fix they have registered.
- If the file looks good in the Preview app but doesn't load at all in PDF Expert, please contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below and we'll get in touch to resolve the issue. We would also appreciate it if you could send us the affected file. If it's bigger than 8 MB, please upload it to any cloud storage service and share a link with us.
If the issue persists on iOS device, try opening the problematic PDF in the iBooks app - this is a standard iOS app that uses the same system component as we do:
- If the file looks the same in this app, the problem is file-specific. We're sure that Apple is aware of such cases if any and a new iOS update might fix the problem - still, you may want to contact Apple Support to make sure your vote is added for the fix they have registered.
- If the file looks good in the iBooks app but doesn't load at all in PDF Expert, please contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below and we'll get in touch to resolve the issue. We would also appreciate it if you could send us the affected file. If it's bigger than 8 MB, please upload it to any cloud storage service and share a link with us.
We recommend opening the file in an advanced PDF editor app (e.g. PDF Expert, our Documents app, or Adobe Reader) to see all your edits and keep on working with a file.
If opening the file in an advanced PDF Editor is not an option,
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It helped, thanks.
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It didn't help.
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Thank you for using PDF Expert!
You can check whether your file is in Bin. For this, click the Bin icon in the bottom right corner. If the needed file is here, simply drag & drop it out of the Bin.
If you use Time Machine to back up your Mac, you can recover your files as described in this article. Please note that due to the design specifics of the macOS system, all files you've ever opened in PDF Expert are saved locally on your device, not in the PDF Expert app, and can be modified via the Finder app.
After the file is deleted from PDF Expert for iOS, it will be placed in the Recently Deleted folder of the PDF Expert app; you will have up to 30 days to restore deleted files.
-
It helped, thanks.
-
It didn't help.
- Add Button
If your Mac is connected to the iCloud storage, try recovering the deleted files on iCloud.com as described in this article.
If you delete the file which was located in an iCloud folder of the PDF Expert app, you can also restore it on the iCloud webpage > iCloud settings > Restore files section. If the file was in a synced folder, please check the 'Recently Deleted' folder within your PDF Expert app.
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Yes
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No
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In case the file can't be opened and instead you see the message about it being corrupted, these are the first aid steps for your PDF:
- Restart your app by clicking Force Quit in Apple Menu or on the app's icon in the dock.
- After this, launch the app again and check if the file can be opened.
- Try opening the same file in the Preview app and after this check if it opens in our app - opening your corrupted file in the system viewer might trigger the file to be rendered again because of the same system component we're using. If the file can't be opened in Preview as well, contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below and send us the affected file if possible. If the file is bigger than 8 MB, please upload it to any cloud storage and share a link with us.
- Force quit the app on your device.
- If the corrupted file is located in the cloud, try downloading it locally and check if it opens.
- If nothing helps, contact us by choosing "Yes" under the question below and send us the affected file if possible. If the file is bigger than 8 MB, please upload it to any cloud storage and share a link with us.
At Readdle, we take your privacy seriously. We don’t sell or unlawfully share your personal data with any third parties. Our Privacy Policy explains how we treat your data to provide safety for your data, and our Team is always ready to answer any of your questions regarding this topic. To ask, simply choose "Yes" under the question below.