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Participant
Dec 12, 2017 6:00 PM UTC
Answered

An incorrect structure was found in the pdf file

I am trying to move one page in the thumbnails view of a 16 page pdf. When I drag and drop the page I get this error:

"An incorrect structure was found in the pdf file" and it will not move the page.

What can I do to fix this without starting over?

I am using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Thanks

    Cari JansenCorrect answer
    Legend
    Dec 16, 2017 1:00 PM UTC

    Are you able to save a copy?

    or maybe try the following (not sure if that works, but anything is worth a try I guess, I found this on acrobatusers.com for a similar issue in Acrobat XI Pro):

    1. Launch Acrobat, but do not open any files
    2. Choose File > Create > Combine Files into a Single PDF
    3. Click Add Files
    4. Navigate to the PDF that's causing issues, select it and click Add Files.
    5. Click Combine, Binder1.pdf is created
    6. File > Save As

    Now try and see if you an move the pages around in this PDF. (fingers crossed)

    View reply

    29 replies

    RobertHaydenCo
    RobertHaydenCo
    Known Participant
    Jan 31, 2024 10:25 PM UTC

    I know this is a late reply, but this was the 1st post I found when looking for the same issue. All of the sudden, my Acrobat Pro has been throwing up that same error on this one document. I found 2 fast simple workarounds.

    Workaround 1: Extract the page(s) you want, make sure to check the box "Delete Pages After Extracting". This will remove the pages from the PDF with the error. Then, from the new PDF that was just created, Click & Drag the page(s) back into the location you need.

    Workaround 2: Rather than moving the page(s) - by clicking and dragging them, select the page(s) then hold the Control Key (CTRL) and copy them. Oddly enough, it lets me copy, but not move. Not sure why, but it worked. From there just delete the oringinal page(s) and you're good.

    Translate
      Anna32874008h3c5
      Participant
      Oct 12, 2023 8:34 AM UTC

      Works just fine. You saved me!!

      Translate
        sporttunergtv6
        Participant
        Aug 25, 2022 11:48 PM UTC

        If I had the original files I would have tried making a new binder but that wasn't an option in this case. 

         

        You can also open the file in your Chrome browser and use their native "print to pdf" option omitting the trouble pages. That's what I did. Sorry Adobe.

        Translate
        Mike Diehl
        Known Participant
        Aug 7, 2019 11:22 PM UTC

        I get this error ALL THE TIME. It's not just one file, it's with many files -- and I'll add that 99% of those are generated by InDesign.

        I generally can rebuild a file from the ground up, per Carl's "fix," but the problem is, I'm assembling PDF from multiple documents, and want to update as components are corrected. (These are album packages, so I'll have four to six different files -- a jacket, insert, labels, sticker, sticker placement, etc. and often I'll need to update a package PDF when only one of those elements has changes.)

        So per another comment above I deleted all tags and the document seemed to "behave." Only one incident, so I'm reticent to believe this is a cure-all, but I'll try it henceforth.

        Of course this raises the question, What are tags and why did my document have several dozen? Again, all were files I generated from InDesign (CC2015). I didn't put the tags there, and wouldn't know how to if I were inclined.

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          Suzie90210
          Participant
          Jun 9, 2021 7:40 PM UTC

          Tags are used so that Accessible Technology (AT) can make sense of them. People with disabilities rely on these tags to navigate through the document. An untagged document would be completely inaccessible. 

           

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          jessk1981
          Participant
          Oct 23, 2018 12:51 PM UTC

          I've just encountered this problem as well. I attempted Cari's suggestion and it didn't solve the problem. I was able to print the PDF to PDF and solve the issue though.

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          akrause2004
          Participating Frequently
          Sep 19, 2019 12:35 PM UTC
          The Print to PDF solution solved the problem for me. Awesome suggestion,....thank you !!!!!!
          Translate
            michellebeyer
            michellebeyer
            Participant
            Feb 28, 2018 3:57 PM UTC

            Here is a guide on how to delete tags for those who need it.

            How do I remove tags from a PDF document?

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              biancad46609800
              biancad46609800
              Participant
              Jun 18, 2018 7:40 PM UTC

              Thank you! This resolved the problem!

              Translate
                Cari JansenCorrect answer
                Legend
                Dec 16, 2017 1:00 PM UTC

                Are you able to save a copy?

                or maybe try the following (not sure if that works, but anything is worth a try I guess, I found this on acrobatusers.com for a similar issue in Acrobat XI Pro):

                1. Launch Acrobat, but do not open any files
                2. Choose File > Create > Combine Files into a Single PDF
                3. Click Add Files
                4. Navigate to the PDF that's causing issues, select it and click Add Files.
                5. Click Combine, Binder1.pdf is created
                6. File > Save As

                Now try and see if you an move the pages around in this PDF. (fingers crossed)

                Translate
                  LStehle
                  Participant
                  Feb 16, 2018 5:26 PM UTC

                  I did not have luck with this. Seems like a silly question, but how do I know which file caused the issue? I'm thinking its an excel file I PDF, but I've tried this combine approach twice and still getting the same issue if I try to edit the PDF or move pages through thumbnails.

                  Translate
                  Test Screen Name
                  Legend
                  Feb 17, 2018 10:38 AM UTC

                  This is usually bad tagging (accessibility info) in the file and can be fixed by deleting all tags.

                  Translate
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