Can't apply redaction - Error 16

Report · Jul 10, 2020

Hi folks,

A member of our staff has been going through weeks of PDF documents, marking text in each for redaction. Acrobat seems to handle this fine. Weeks later, she is now at the stage in which the marked redactions have been approved by her colleagues, and so it's now time to click Apply to actually redact the text in each file.

However on each PDF she tries this, she gets:

"There was a problem reading this document (16)"

Even though Acrobat loads and saves marking to the document fine, it won't apply redaction.

This is affecting any PDF file.

I have attempted:

Moving the affected files from the network drive they're stored on, onto her Desktop and applying redaction- same error
Running a repair on Acrobat, same error
Uninstalling and reinstalling Acrobat, same error
Loading up the file on a different computer and trying to redact, same error

So she has a fresh copy of Acrobat 2017 Pro installed, yet this is affecting any PDF file stored in any folder.

Report · Jul 10, 2020

What's the exact version number of the application? What's your OS version?

Report · Jul 13, 2020

Windows 10, v1803

Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017, version 17.011.30171

Report · Jul 10, 2020

Hi there

We are sorry for the trouble. As decribed you are unable to redact and getting the error 'There was a problem reading this document (16)'

++ Adding to the discussion

This error message is dispplayed when there is something wrong with the PDF file or the file is corrupt.

Please try to recreate the PDF file by printing to Adobe PDF and then try to redact the file and check.
Open the PDF file > Print > Select 'Adobe PDF' in the printer list > Save the PDF with new name.

You may also refer to an old discussion Solved: Can't apply redaction! Problem reading this docume... - Adobe Support Community - 4110929 for more information.

Keep us posted with the results

Regards

Amal

Report · Jul 15, 2020

When recreating the affected PDF files using the print trick, this works but with one problem:

The red box that shows which text you have marked for redaction, is rendered on the "printed" file as a picture.

As a reminder, this happens to multiple files in multiple locations. All of them have had redaction marked on them- but not yet applied. The marking was done with Pro 2017.

We tried redacting the affected PDF files on another computer with Acrobat Pro DC, it had the same problem.
We tried redacting the affected PDF files on another computer with Acrobat Pro 2017, it had the same problem.
We tried redacting the affected PDF files on another computer with a competitor product... and it worked.

The only way we can get Acrobat to succesfully apply the redcation is

if we recreate each PDF, but first we need to remove all the markings so that the red boxes don't show up.
recreate the original PDF files themselves

The above two points indeed suggest that it's a file corruption problem BUT the fact that a competitor product is able to succesfully redact these files is interesting.

Unfortunately I can't share any of the affected files, as they're confidential patient records.

Report · Mar 27, 2025

What was the competitor product you used?

Report · Jul 12, 2020

Hi There,

Thanks for reporting the issue here.

Is the same issue happening to all the file(s) or is it specific to a single file?

Is it possible to share the file with us, as the issue seems to be specific to file?

We tried on latest version of Acrobat Classic 2017; but the same is working as expected.

Please do let us know, if anything else is required from our end.

Regards,

Swapnil Srivastava