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practical_epicness706d
Participant
September 23, 2026
Question

Adobe Acrobat Sign certification disappears after closing PDF

  • September 23, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 19 views

Bug – Adobe Acrobat Sign certification disappears after closing PDF

On Windows, after signing a PDF with Adobe Acrobat Sign, the document correctly displays “Certified by Adobe Acrobat Sign” and “Document certified valid”.

I then save a local copy.
In previous versions/workflows, when closing Acrobat, Acrobat prompted me to save the document again. The certification was then permanently retained.

Now Acrobat no longer prompts to save when closing.

If I close Acrobat and reopen the exact same PDF, the Adobe Acrobat Sign certification has disappeared.

Workaround found: while the certification is still visible, using Ctrl + Shift + S / Save As and creating a new PDF correctly preserves the certification after reopening.

Therefore, Acrobat appears to display the final Acrobat Sign certification without marking the PDF as modified / requiring the final certification state to be saved.

This can result in users unknowingly sending a PDF without the expected certification.

Please investigate the save-state handling after Acrobat Sign certification.

    3 replies

    practical_epicness706dAuthor
    Participant
    September 25, 2026

    Hello Anand,

    Thank you for your reply. I have now performed the requested tests and attached screenshots showing the results.

    1. Acrobat product:
    Adobe Acrobat Reader

    2. Exact version/build:
    Continuous Release – Version 2026.002.21931 – 64-bit

    I also checked for updates. Acrobat reports “No updates available”, so the application is fully up to date.

    3. Signing workflow:
    C – another Acrobat Sign workflow.

    To clarify my workflow: I receive a normal PDF document from another person. It is not sent to me through “Request e-signatures” / Acrobat Sign.

    I open the PDF locally in Adobe Acrobat Reader, add my own signature in Acrobat, save the signed PDF, and then return the PDF to the sender.

    I am not using a personal certificate-based Digital ID, so this is not option B.

    4. Save behavior:
    I reproduced the issue again with the current version.

    • With Ctrl+S (Save): after closing and reopening the PDF, the Acrobat Sign certification banner is not present.
    • With “Save a Copy”: after closing and reopening the PDF, the Acrobat Sign certification banner is also not present.
    • With Ctrl+Shift+S (Save As): after closing and reopening the newly saved PDF, the certification is correctly preserved.

    The successful file displays the blue banner:

    “Certified by Adobe Acrobat Sign, prod-kms, certificate issued by Intesi Group EU Qualified Electronic Seal CA G2.”

    I have attached screenshots showing:

    1. My Acrobat Reader version.
    2. Confirmation that no update is available.
    3. The result after Ctrl+Shift+S, where the certification banner is present.
    4. The result after Ctrl+S, where the certification banner is absent.
    5. The result after Save a Copy, where the certification banner is absent.

    Therefore, on my system, only Ctrl+Shift+S / Save As correctly writes and preserves the Acrobat Sign certification in the PDF.

    This appears to confirm that the certification is generated correctly, but that its final state is not being written to the PDF by the normal Save or Save a Copy workflows.

    Could you please investigate this behavior?

    Regards

    Meenakshi Negi
    Community Manager
    Meenakshi NegiCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 25, 2026

    Hi practical_epicness706d,


    Thank you for the detailed information.

    We attempted to replicate the issue on the same version, and everything is functioning correctly for us. Could you please provide a screen recording of the steps you are taking? This will help us better understand your workflow. Additionally, please try using a different PDF file that is saved locally. You can create a new test PDF and follow the same steps again.

    Let us know how it goes.


    Thanks,

    Meenakshi

    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 24, 2026

    Hello @practical_epicness706d


    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out, and sharing the details. Sorry for the trouble.


    Could you please share more details about the issue, and the workflow?


    1. Which Acrobat product is affected: A) Acrobat Pro, B) Acrobat Standard, or C) Acrobat Reader?

    2. What exact Acrobat version/build is installed under Help > About Adobe Acrobat?

    3. Is the certification added through A) Request e-signatures/Acrobat Sign, B) a certificate-based digital signature in Acrobat, or C) another Acrobat Sign workflow?

    4. Does the issue occur with every Acrobat Sign-completed PDF or only specific documents, and does a normal Save (Ctrl+S) preserve the certification before closing, or only Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S)?


    Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 26.002.21931, Out of cycle update, Sep 17, 2026. Check for any pending updates by navigating to Menu > Help> Check for Updates. Install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again.


    Suggestions:

    1. While "Certified by Adobe Acrobat Sign" / "Document certified valid" is still visible, use Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S) to write a new PDF.

    2. Close and reopen that new file, and confirm in the Signature Panel that the certified status is present and valid before distributing. (You can also enable Preferences > Signatures > Verification > "Verify signatures when the document is opened" so Acrobat auto-validates on open.)
      Only send it after that reopen-and-verify passes.


    Please refer to these articles for more details:

    https://adobe.ly/46K9R4P

    https://adobe.ly/3VumVsE

    https://adobe.ly/46HnPog


    I hope this helps, and please reach out if you have any questions, or need any assistance.


    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

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