Issue: PDF files hosted on Shopify intermittently crash Safari and Chrome on iOS (Apple mobile devices). A 10‑page example link was provided. Desktop browsers load the same PDFs fine, suggesting an iOS-specific rendering problem rather than corrupt files.
Reproduction/impact: Multiple merchants report the crash with a “Can’t open this page” error on iPhones/iPads; customers are affected across many Apple devices. One staff member could open the file with noticeable lag and couldn’t reproduce a crash on their end.
Troubleshooting tried: Clearing browser cache and using incognito/private mode did not help. Not limited to a single device or account.
Workarounds suggested: 1) Instruct users to download the PDF (right‑click/tap‑and‑hold → Save As) instead of using the in‑browser viewer. 2) Temporarily host PDFs externally (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) to test whether crashes persist on iOS.
Support/next steps: Shopify staff asked affected merchants to contact live support via the Help Center (“Speak with support”) for deeper investigation due to account authentication needs.
Status: Unresolved/ongoing. Open questions include whether this is a Shopify CDN or iOS WebKit PDF viewer compatibility issue and if/when a platform-side fix will be deployed.
I have added a PDF, copied the link, then added it to the page. When I click on it crashes. I am using Safari and Chrome and our customers are having the same issue.
It’s about 10 pages. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2714/8736/files/MB1221_-_Assembly_Instructions.pdf?v=1691080354
Hi @RockJeep98
Thank you for sharing the link. I also noticed a bit of lag when trying to view it, but I was able to open it successfully and wasn’t able to replicate it crashing. There are a lot of elements that cause this issue so it is difficult to troubleshoot effectively.
I would recommend adding instructions for your customer to right click/tap and hold the link and save as to download a copy of the file instead of using the browser PDF viewer. Alternatively, you can try uploading the file to host it on an external host like Google Drive or Drop Box and see if the issue persists there.
Hi,
We are also having this exact same issue - started happening a few months ago. Opening PDF files hosted on Shopify in Safari or Chrome on iOS devices caused the page to crash. The PDF will start to load and then crashes with a ‘Can’t open this page’ error message. The PDFs will open perfectly fine on destop / laptop devices so there is no issue with the PDF file.
Can this be investigated please as it looks like this is a Shopify issue. We have hundreds of PDF’s hosted on our Shopify store so migrating them all to another service is not really a viable solution.
Many thanks
Hey @TCane .
Thanks for reaching out and bringing this to our attention.
Can you attempt to clear the cache on your browser from the device that is giving you trouble? In some cases, clearing the cache on your browser can fix minor issues that you may experience on the Shopify platform.
Let us know if that does the trick.
This does not happen on just my computer but rather every apple device that
our customers use. Ie. This is not just my computer but every apple device.
Hey @RockJeep98 .
Thanks for additional context around this.
We will need to take a further look into the situation to advise next steps. With that being said, since we are unable to authenticate over the Community forums due to the sensitive information that is required to be shared, I am unable to view the specifics. You can get in direct contact with our live support by navigating to the Help Center.
Once you arrive on the Help Center, you will need to make the virtual assistant be aware that you would like to Speak with support and you will be connected accordingly.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Hi Ollie,
Thanks for your reply, we have tried clearing the cache and also tried
incognito windows but neither helped to fix the issue.
Many thanks