Preview won't open a PDF document.

Before the potential trauma of a full reinstall I would check for software updates. Most apple Silicon machines have shipped with MacOS 11.0 or 11.0.1, and the current release is MacOS 11.1

(menu), About This Mac, Software Update (button)

jmsbeau Said:

"Preview won't open a PDF document.: This issue just started. I have a new MacBook Air 2020, running iOs BigSur and have never had this issue until this week. Can someone help?"

-------

Provide a Screenshot:

What happens when you try? Any error messages? Please provide a screenshot of the window that pops up.

1. Go Here: Take a screenshot on your Mac - Apple Support
2. Scroll to: How to capture a window or menu
3. Proceed from there with the screenshot.

jmsbeau Said:

"I can open them on my iPhone X."

-----

Where to Go From Here:

A. Please Verify PDF:

Does printing this page as a PDF document work, when you open the file on this Mac?

B. Reinstall the macOS:

If a built in application cannot be operated 100%, then you may need to reinstall the macOS. An install may not have been 100% successful.

1. First, Back up your Mac:

Create a Time Machine backup of your Mac, so that you can have something to restore your Mac from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall.

2. Then, Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple Support

Important:

Take this as a learning experience, knowing to always create a Time Machine backup of your Mac prior to installing and upgrade, so that you can have something to restore your Mac from, should anything go wrong with the transfer.

Print this as PDF:

Thank you for the screenshot. Do these open on another computer? If not, then maybe they are all corrupt, though a full assumption on my part.

So, what I would try doing is printing this Website as a PDF document, and then try opening it. Do you still get the error?

I have a new MacBook Air on BigSur and when I'm on a pdf in Safari and right click on 'Open with Preview' literally nothing happens. I use this feature a lot and have googled the problem but can't find a solution.

One specific pdf, or any pdf?