OmniDocWhat to do if the electronic contract cannot be opened: Troubleshooting that the signing page cannot be loaded
When the electronic contract signing page or attachment cannot be opened, first identify whether it is a problem with the file itself, the browser or the network, then troubleshoot it step by step, and explain how to ask the initiator to resend it.
Key points of this article
- First determine whether you have an attachment or a signed link. The two have different investigation directions.
- If the file cannot be opened, first check the size and extension, and then test it with another PDF viewer.
- When the link is blank or keeps loading, changing the browser, incognito window, or network can usually locate the problem.
- Check ad blocking, script plug-ins and protection software, and if necessary, temporarily close them before testing again.
- If the problem still cannot be solved, please ask the initiator to check the device information and resend the signing request.
When you receive an electronic contract and click on the link, you get a blank page, or the PDF keeps spinning in circles and prompts "cannot be loaded." This situation is very common, and often occurs when you need to sign as soon as possible. The problem could be with the file itself, or with the browser, network, or link in email that opens it. The two sides have different troubleshooting ideas, and it would be a waste of time to try them randomly.
This article is written for the contract recipient who receives a request to sign, and is also suitable for the initiator who needs to send the contract to someone else for signature but finds that the other party cannot open it. After reading, you can tell which side the problem lies on and do a few steps of inspection in order. In most cases, the signature page can be loaded normally without bothering the other party.
Let me give the conclusion first: If you encounter an electronic contract that cannot be opened, don’t rush to reinstall the software or change the computer. Eliminate them one by one in the order of"file, browser, network". Most problems can be located within ten minutes.
Why can’t the electronic contract signing be opened? One sentence conclusion
First determine whether you are getting a PDF attachment or a signing link. If the attachment cannot be opened, it is probably a file problem, and if the link cannot be opened, it is probably a browser or network problem. The two methods are different.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| I received a PDF attachment and it cannot be displayed after double-clicking it. | Check the file size and ask the other party to resend it. | The download may be incomplete, or the file itself may be corrupted |
| When you click on the signature link, the page is blank or keeps loading. | Copy link to another browser or open in an incognito window | Mostly caching, plug-ins or script interception |
| The mobile phone can be turned on, but the computer cannot be turned on (or vice versa) | Compare the browsers and networks on both ends, and sign on the other end. | Caused by environmental differences and has nothing to do with the content of the contract |
| The link is invalid or expired | Contact the initiating party to reinitiate the signing request | The link has an expiration date or has been replaced and needs to be regenerated by the other party. |
| Can't open under company or school network | Use another network or mobile phone traffic test | Network policy may have blocked the page address |
First determine what kind of problem it is
The table below lists common symptoms so you can compare them to find the cause.
| symptoms | Common causes | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| After double-clicking the file, it prompts that it is damaged or cannot be opened. | Download interrupted, file truncated, extension does not match actual format | Check whether the file size is 0 and whether it matches the number of pages specified by the other party. |
| Blank or circle all the time after the link is opened | The browser caches old pages, scripts are blocked by plug-ins, and the network is unstable. | Change to another browser or no trace window and then open it. If you can open it, the problem lies in the original browser. |
| The page prompt requires a password | The file sets the open password | Check whether the password is included in the email or SMS, and confirm with the initiator. |
| Prompt link is invalid or expired | The validity period has expired, or the initiator has resent it. | Check the delivery time to see if there are any updated messages in the mailbox. |
| The link in the email clicked and did not respond. | The mail client overwrote or intercepted the link | Copy the link text, paste it into the browser address bar and open it. |
| The same link behaves differently in different networks. | Different network or firewall policies | Open it with another network or mobile phone traffic and compare the results |
# item-by-item troubleshooting and repair
It is recommended to operate in the following order. The previous steps are simple, and the later steps will involve browser settings and the network, which will take longer.
- check the file itself : check whether the file size is obviously too small or 0, and whether it matches the number of pages specified by the other party. If not, the download is incomplete. Click on the attachment to download again.
- confirm extension : the file name of the PDF contract should end with .pdf. If the name is .pdf but it is actually a web page or package, double-click will fail, ask the other party to check and resend.
- Test for another PDF viewer : open the same file in another reader. Can display normally, the description file is basically intact, the problem lies in the original software; can not open, ask the other party to re-export. If you need to view and edit PDF on your computer, you can also go to download.omnidoc.top to download the desktop client and test it with the PDF tool.
- change browser or trace-free window : copy the signed link and open it in another browser or trace-free window. This step eliminates the interference of the old cache and login status.
- check intercept settings : if the electronic contract signing page is blocked, it needs to be unblocked. You can temporarily turn off ad blocking, script plug-ins and pop-up blocks, and then refresh the page. After the page is restored, add the signed site to the allow list, and then reopen the plug-in. The web protection of antivirus software may also block pages and can be temporarily shut down and tested. Do this only when you confirm that the source of the link is reliable.
- switch network test : switch to mobile traffic or other Wi-Fi. The company and the school network often have an access policy. If you can open it after changing the network, tell the IT staff or the other party about the situation.
- it still doesn't work. Please resend it : tell the other party the device, browser version and error screenshot you are using, ask the other party to re-send the signature request, generate a new signature page and try again.
# how to avoid the next occurrence
-before the initiator sends it, open the attachment or link with each of the two devices to confirm that it can be displayed normally and then sent out. -keep the original PDF format, do not change the extension at will, and do not transfer the file to an unrecognized format before sending it. -sign the link and send the full address as far as possible with the expiration date. When the link is replaced, the old link is invalid. -the receiver will open it as soon as possible after receiving the contract, setting aside time to deal with the problem, so as to avoid finding that it cannot be opened until it is near the deadline. -Test it in another browser before signing, and keep the commonly used browser as a new version. -download a local copy after signing and save it for future reference.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. The signing page always shows that it is loading. How long will it take to wait?
When the network is normal, the page usually appears quickly. If you refresh once or twice and still turn around, follow the above steps to change the browser or network. Don't flush it over and over again, it's easy to keep the old cache in effect.
2. The scanned contract can be opened, but if you can't choose Chinese characters, can you still sign it?
The scanned version of PDF is essentially a picture. Choosing Chinese characters is a normal phenomenon, but it doesn't mean it can't be opened. Whether the signature can be signed mainly depends on whether the signature page can be loaded normally, and it has little to do with whether the text can be selected. If you need to extract text, you can use the OCR function of the PDF editor to identify it. After recognition, please check the results.
3. I have the Word contract. Can I directly initiate and sign it online?
The signing request is for the PDF file. If the contract is in Word format, you can use Word's "Export to PDF" function to convert it before initiating the signature. After conversion, please open and check whether the page number, form and signature location are consistent with the original.
4. The same link, colleagues can open, I can not open, is the link invalid?
Probably not. When the link fails, no one can open it. The more common reason is that your browser, plug-in or network settings are different, so you can compare them one by one according to steps 4, 5, and 6.
# Summary
When the electronic contract can not be opened, first distinguish whether it is a file problem, or a link, browser and network problem, and then sort it out in order. In most cases, it can be solved by changing the browser or network, so ask the initiator to check the information and resend the signature request.
