> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.scriptation.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# Unable to Display Document message? Here's how to recover your file.

The **Unable to Display Document** message means Scriptation can open the file slot but can't read the file's contents at that moment. Most of the time this is a temporary issue — a sync hiccup, an offline cloud file, or an app state that needs a restart — and the file is fine. Work through the steps below in order before assuming the file is corrupt.

##### 1. Close the file, wait, and reopen it

Tap the **×** on the file's tab to close it. Wait a few seconds, then tap the file in your File Browser to reopen it. Roughly half of "Unable to Display Document" cases clear with this single step.

##### 2. Restart Scriptation

Fully quit Scriptation (swipe up from the app switcher on iPad/iPhone, or Cmd+Q on macOS), then reopen it. If the message was caused by a stuck app state, this clears it.

##### 3. Make sure the file is downloaded from the cloud

Cloud-stored files (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud) sometimes show up in your File Browser as references *before* the file itself has been downloaded to your device. If you're offline or sync is paused, opening one of these placeholder files produces the "Unable to Display Document" message.

* **Dropbox**: In the Dropbox app, find your file, right-click (or two-finger click on Mac) and choose **Make available offline**. The cloud icon becomes a green checkmark.
* **OneDrive**: Right-click your file and choose **Always keep on this device**.
* **Google Drive**: Open the file in the Google Drive app once while online — that triggers a download.
* **iCloud**: Open the **Files** app, locate the file, and tap the cloud-download icon next to it.

Then return to Scriptation and try opening the file again.

|| 📝 NOTE: When iCloud sync is mid-flight between Mac and iPad/iPhone, you'll occasionally see this message even on files that have downloaded. Close the file, wait a few seconds, and reopen — that usually clears it.

##### 4. Try opening the file in another PDF app

If the steps above don't help, open the file in a different PDF reader (Apple Preview on Mac, the Files app's built-in viewer on iPad/iPhone, or Adobe Acrobat). This is a diagnostic:

* **The file opens in another app** → the issue is with Scriptation or its sync of that file. Try [importing a clean copy](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/importing-scripts-into-scriptation-k34r8d/) into Scriptation, then [transferring your notes](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/how-do-i-transfer-my-notes-1khpcd8/) from the affected file onto the clean import.
* **The file won't open in any app** → the PDF itself is likely corrupt. See [My PDF may have become corrupt. What can I do?](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/my-pdf-may-have-become-corrupt-what-can-i-do-1cf7gj9/) for recovery options.

##### 5. Restore an earlier version of the file

If you can't get the current copy to open, you can usually roll back to an earlier version:

* **Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive** all keep version history — log in to their web portal and restore a version from before the issue started. See [How to restore an earlier version of your file with Dropbox](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/how-to-restore-an-earlier-version-of-your-file-with-dropbox-1171koy/) (the same pattern applies to Google Drive and OneDrive).
* **iCloud Drive** doesn't keep file version history, but the file may still be in **iCloud Drive's Recently Deleted folder** if a conflicted copy was auto-removed. See [I accidentally deleted my script. How do I recover it?](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/i-accidentally-deleted-my-script-how-do-i-recover-it-tw4inu/) for that path.

##### Still seeing the message?

If you've worked through all five steps and the message persists, use the **Send us an email** button at the bottom of this page. Please include:

* Your **device, OS version, and Scriptation version** (see [Current version and system requirements](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/current-version-and-system-requirements-1yryfi7/));
* Where the file is **stored** (On My iPad, iCloud, Dropbox, etc.);
* Whether the file opens in another PDF app.

### Best practices going forward

* Use **Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive** rather than iCloud or On My iPad — version history is your strongest insurance against this kind of issue.
* Turn on [Automatic App Updates](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/current-version-and-system-requirements-1yryfi7/) to always run the most current build of Scriptation.

# What's Next

[My PDF may have become corrupt. What can I do?](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/my-pdf-may-have-become-corrupt-what-can-i-do-1cf7gj9/)
[How to sync files across devices with Cloud Storage](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/how-to-sync-files-across-devices-with-cloud-storage-rj94v/)
[I accidentally deleted my script. How do I recover it?](https://help.scriptation.com/en/article/i-accidentally-deleted-my-script-how-do-i-recover-it-tw4inu/)