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A
alex_000808
Participant
July 21, 2025
Question

Adobe Acrobat Reader upgrading to licensed acrobat during RDP sessions

  • July 21, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 450 views

Hi everyone, 

we are experiencing an issue in our Terminal Server environment where existing Adobe Acrobat Reader installations automatically upgrade to Adobe Acrobat with a licensed user profile during RDP sessions


Although we have applied the attached registry entries to prevent this behavior, the upgrade problem still persists.

We are looking for any additional recommendations to:

  • Prevent any background updates or cloud prompts

  • Stop Adobe Reader from upgrading automatically to Acrobat during user logins

  • Optimize performance/stability in multi-user RDS sessions

  • Block user sign-in prompts completely

 

Thanks in advance for any insights or links!

best regards

Alex

1 reply

T
Tariq Dar
Legend
July 24, 2025

Hi @alex_2176,

 

Thank you for reaching out, and sorry for the delayed response. 

I hope you have already found an answer to this question. This workflow doesn't have a one-liner answer I can provide. 

 

 

Adobe has introduced a unified installer for Windows that now includes both Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Reader in a single package. This means:

  • You no longer need separate installers for Reader and Pro.

  • The installer automatically activates Acrobat Pro if you have a valid subscription; otherwise, it defaults to Reader mode.

  • It simplifies deployment for IT admins and ensures seamless switching between Reader and Pro functionality without needing reinstallation.

For more details and FAQs, check the full article here: 🔗 Acrobat Unified Installer – Windows Overview

 

And for more information on unified installer and deployment, visit here: https://adobe.ly/41dt6Bl

 

Let us know how it works.



Best regards,
Tariq | Adobe Community Team

A
alex_000808Author
Participant
July 25, 2025

Hello Tariq,

thank you for your answer!

I have a quick follow-up question:
Is it possible to run different versions of Adobe Reader simultaneously for multiple users on the same RDS (Remote Desktop Services) server?

For example, can each user session use a different version of Adobe Reader independently at the same time?

Looking forward to your insights.

T
Tariq Dar
Legend
July 25, 2025

You can if you have access to the Acrobat 32-bit version and the Reader 32-bit version. 

However, it is never recommended. The biggest issue that eventually arises when users want to use the Acrobat feature is that most of the time, they end up opening Reader, which leads to issues.  

 

With the latest installer, this is not possible at all, given the unified installer technology. 

 

I hope that answers your question.

Best regards,
Tariq | Adobe Community Team

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