Applies to: All editions
Preserve useful context
When PDFSanitize does not behave as expected, record the current state before changing files or reinstalling. Preserve, where permitted:
- PDFSanitize version and active edition;
- Windows version and whether the environment is physical, virtual, or Windows Server;
- The operation being performed: add, analyze, sanitize, verify, report, certificate, activate, validate, or deactivate;
- Selected sanitization profile, mode, and relevant custom options;
- Exact non-sensitive error text;
- Activity-log messages and timestamps;
- Source file name, size, page count, and SHA-256 fingerprint where available;
- Whether the PDF is encrypted or digitally signed;
- Sanitized output name and hash where one was created;
- Verification result and failed check names;
- Report format and destination;
- Changes made immediately before the issue began.
Protect sensitive information
Do not send the full product key, passwords, confidential document content, unrelated file paths, or personal data that is not necessary to diagnose the problem.
A PDF that is being sanitized because it contains sensitive information should not automatically be attached to a support request. Provide the document only through an explicitly approved support-transfer procedure and only when necessary.
Reproduction information
Where safe, record whether the issue:
- Affects one PDF or many PDFs;
- Occurs from a local disk and from a network location;
- Depends on Preserve Quality or Maximum Assurance;
- Appears only when hidden-text reconstruction is enabled;
- Is specific to one report format;
- Persists after a clean application restart;
- Can be reproduced with a non-sensitive test PDF.
Support request structure
Provide:
- A concise issue summary;
- PDFSanitize version and edition;
- Windows and environment type;
- Exact steps to reproduce;
- Expected and observed behavior;
- Relevant profile or options;
- Full non-sensitive error text;
- Verification or report details where applicable;
- Troubleshooting already attempted.
This information helps support distinguish document-specific parsing issues, environment restrictions, licensing problems, and output-permission failures without unnecessarily exposing sensitive PDF content.