Interactive pdf doesn't work on tablet (also with Acrobat Reade for mobile)

Question

I have made a interactive pdf by InDesign, but when I try to open it with Acrobat Reader (Mobile version) it doen’t work.Buttons don’t work, same for pop-up windows.How I can fix this problem?

DFWTechGuy · Accepted Answer

This may be a limitation of Acrobat Reader on mobile rather than an issue with your InDesign file.

First, make sure you exported it using Adobe PDF (Interactive) and set Forms and Media to Include All. Adobe recommends this for keeping buttons and other interactive elements in the exported PDF.

If the buttons work correctly on desktop Acrobat but not on the tablet, the mobile app may simply not support the particular type of interaction you're using.

If the document needs to have the full InDesign interactivity on tablets, I’d try Publish Online instead. It supports interactive InDesign content like buttons, slideshows, animations, audio and video in a mobile web browser.

DFWTechGuy · Answer

This is likely a limitation of interactive PDFs on mobile rather than an InDesign export problem.

Acrobat Reader on tablets does not support the full range of PDF interactivity, especially pop-ups, rollover effects, multi-state objects, and some button actions. Simple hyperlinks may still work.

If the PDF needs to be interactive on tablets, I’d consider exporting as Fixed Layout EPUB or using InDesign Publish Online, which is designed to preserve more interactive features across desktop and mobile browsers.

Also make sure the PDF was exported using Adobe PDF (Interactive) with Forms and Media > Include All, but even with the correct export settings, mobile support is still limited.

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