Adobe Reader Error 110 ‘The Document Could not Be Saved’

The ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error occurs on Acrobat Reader when the user tries to save a particular file conventionally or via the Save as a feature. Some users have even reported that in their case, the Save function has become greyed out after several failed attempts.

This issue occurs with files obtained externally. In this case, the issue can be resolved easily by using the Microsoft Print to PDF feature to avoid the irrelevant data. Keep in mind that corrupted file properties can also cause this problem – in this case, opening the PDF file with Foxit Reader or via Google Chrome should help you fix the problem.

But most instances of this issue are caused by some file corruption. To resolve them, you’ll need to use Nitro Pro or an online PDF repair tool to fix the corruption.

In some rare circumstances, you might also see this error due to a font issue. To fix it, you only need to update Acrobat Reader to the latest available version.

How to Fix the Acrobat Reader ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved’ Error?

1. Using the Microsoft Print to PDF feature

If the issue is being caused by a partially corrupted PDF file that you obtained externally, you might be able to avoid the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error by using the Microsoft Print to PDF feature instead.

This operation will end up bypassing some security checks that the regular saving function is configured to run, so you might be able to save the file successfully.

But keep in mind that this operation is not entirely without data loss. By using this workaround, the saved file will not contain any bookmarks or comments that you previously established. But the good news is it will allow you to save and edit the file normally.

Here’s a quick guide on using the Microsoft Print to PDF feature in order to avoid the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error:

1. Open the Acrobat Reader application, then open the file that you’re encountering the issue with.
2. Once the file is open in Acrobat Reader, use the ribbon bar at the top to select File > Print from the newly appeared context menu.
3. After you manage to get inside the Print menu, use the drop-down menu associated with Printer and set it to Microsoft Print to PDF.
4. Next, ensure that the toggle under Pages to Print is set to All.
5. Now that everything is in order, click the Print button to start the procedure.
6. When prompted by the Save Print Output As window, select an appropriate location and ensure that the Save as type is set to PDF document.
7. Click Save to complete the operation.
   Note: After you do this, the operation should complete with no issues. You should then be able to open it and use it normally.

In case the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error still occurs, move down to the next method below.

2. Save the file with Foxit Reader

A lot of affected users have been deploying this potential fix successfully when encountering the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error. Foxit Reader is a free alternative to Acrobat reader, but a lot of affected users have used it to fix PDF files that were no longer savable.

Note: Here’s how to fix a file that Acrobat can’t repair.

As it turns out, Foxit Reader gets rid of some properties that might end up forcing Adobe Reader to throw this error. So a lot of affected users have managed to resolve the issue by temporarily installing Foxit Reader, and using it to save the file in the same .PDF format. After doing so, most of them have reported that Adobe Reader was miraculously able to save the document without throwing the same error.

Here’s a quick guide on installing and using FoxIt Reader to circumvent the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error:

1. Open your default browser and visit this link (here). Once you get there, click on Download for Free, then scroll down to Foxit Reader and click the Free Download button associated with it.

   

2. Select the platform and your language, then click Download to initiate the process.
3. Wait for the download is complete, then open the installation executable, accept the license agreement and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

   

   Note: Keep in mind that the application will attempt to install some PUPs. Choose the ‘Don’t install a free 14 days trial of Foxit PhantomPDF’ if you don’t want unwanted programs on your computer.

4. Once the installation is complete, open Foxit Reader and use it to the file that was throwing the error in Adobe Reader by going to File > Open.
5. With the file opened, go to File > Save As > Computer and select a location where you want to save the problematic file.

   

   Note: If you’re planning on saving the file on the same location, ensure that you give it a different name.

6. Once the new instance of the file has been created, open it with Acrobat Reader and see if the problem is now resolved.

In case you’re still encountering the same ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error, move down to the next potential fix below.

3. Repairing document with Nitro Pro

If the two potential fixes above didn’t work, it’s probably due to the fact that you’re dealing with a corrupted PDF file. In this case, your best hope of fixing the issue is to use an application that is capable of repairing corrupted PDF files.

One such application is Nitro Reader 2. This free application has an extensive repair function that ends up fixing the majority of problems that might corrupt a previously healthy PDF file. Several affected users have confirmed that repairing the file with Nitro Reader 2 allowed them to save a new instance of the same file that was not triggering the same ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error.

Here’s a quick guide on repairing the PDF document with Nitro Reader 2:

1. Visit this link (here), enter your name and email address and click on Start your Free trial.

   

2. Wait for the downloaded executable to be downloaded. Once the download is finished, open the installer and select a location where you want to install Nitro Pro.

   

3. Wait until the process is complete, then restart your computer once the operation is complete.
4. At the next startup sequence, launch your Nitro application and use the Open function to load the same PDF file that was triggering the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error with Acrobat Reader.
5. If the document has an error that can be fixed, you will get a message similar to “This file was damaged (corrupted) and has been repaired.”
6. If you see the above message, go to File > Save As > PDF Document and save the repaired instance in a new location.
7. Next, use Acrobat Reader to open the same document and see if the issue has been resolved.

In case you’re still encountering the same ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error, move down to the next method below.

4. Repairing the file with Sejda

If you’re fairly certain that the issue is being caused by some type of PDF corruption but Nitro was unable to fix the file, chances are you will be able to remove the corrupted metadata easily with Sejda Repair PDF utility or other 3rd party alternatives.

Some users that we’re encountering this issue have confirmed that they manage to heal the file after using an online PDF repair utility.

Here’s a quick guide on repairing the corrupted PDF file with Sejda utility:

1. Open your default browser and visit this link (here).
2. Once you arrive at the correct location, click on the green Upload PDF Files button.
3. Next, from the Open menu, navigate to the location of the problematic PDF, select it and click Open to load it into the repair utility.
4. After the PDF file is loaded successfully, click on Repair PDF and wait for the request to be successfully processed.
5. If the file is successfully recovered, download the output on your computer and see if the issue is now resolved.

In case the new version of the file is still showing the same ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error, move down to the next method below.

5. Saving the file with Chrome

As it turns out, you don’t necessarily need to use a 3rd party PDF viewer in order to clear the metadata that might end up causing the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error. In most cases, the issue will end up occurring due to special characters hidden within the files.

One user has discovered that you can also clear this temp data by using Chrome. It turns out that you can open the file in Chrome and save the file via the Print command.

Here’s a quick guide on fixing the ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error directly via Google Chrome:

1. Open Google Chrome and access this link (here). Once you’re there, install the PDF Viewer extension.
2. After the extension is installed, type ‘chrome://extensions/‘ inside the navigation bar and press Enter to open the Extension menu.

   

3. Once you’re inside the Extension menu, look for PDF Viewer. When you see it, click on the Details button associated with the extension.

   

4. Inside the options menu, scroll down through the list of settings and ensure that the toggle associated with Allow access to file URLs is enabled.

   

5. Next, simply drag and drop the problematic PDF file on your Google Chrome window. The browser should automatically open the PDF file using the extension that you recently installed.
6. With the PDF file open in chrome, simply click the Download button in the top-right corner

   

   Note: This operation will automatically get rid of the metadata that is most likely causing the issue.

In case you’re still encountering the same ‘The Document Could Not Be Saved (110)’ error, move down to the next method below.

6. Update to the latest version of Acrobat Reader

As it turns out, this particular issue can also occur due to a font issue that has since been addressed by Adobe. Under normal circumstances, the program is designed to automatically update itself. But certain 3rd party suites or even user preferences might stop the application from auto-updating.

Several affected users have confirmed that the issue was resolved after they updated the application to the latest version.

Here’s a quick guide on ensuring that you are using the latest version of Acrobat Reader:

1. Open Acrobat reader and ensure that the 3rd party security suite is off (if you have one).
2. Go to the ribbon bar at the top and click on Help > Check for Updates.

   

3. Wait until the initial scan is finished. If a new update is identified, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the application update.
4. Restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved at the next computer startup.