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Sunny_Luminary21b2
Participant
September 21, 2026
Answered

How do I use Acrobat Pro without Creative Cloud (Bloated garbage). I have approx 1500 users

  • September 21, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 39 views

Creative Cloud was actually running several different processes in each user context and causing not only memory and CPU pressure, but also high IO which resulted in 200 users being unable to use an RDS server. We attempted to disable the startup processes but this thing just keeps spreading.

We do not need this to read and write PDF’s and want a way to remove it and just use adobe pro.

    Correct answer AnkitVerma

    Hi ​@Sunny_Luminary21b2,

    Thank you for reaching out, and we're really sorry for the trouble this has caused. A two hour RDS outage taking down 200 users is a serious hit, and we completely understand the frustration here.

    Here's the main thing, and it's good news for you: what you are describing, the per-user processes, the memory and CPU pressure, the high IO, the way it keeps spreading even after you disable startup items, that is the Creative Cloud desktop app, not Acrobat. Acrobat does not need it to run at all. You can remove that piece entirely and still keep Acrobat, which is exactly what you want.

    The cleanest way to do this is to create an Acrobat-only package from the Admin Console. It deploys Acrobat on its own, with none of the Creative Cloud apps bundled in. Kindly go to Packages > Packages, choose Create a package, and use the Acrobat-only workflow. One thing to plan for: a single package cannot span operating systems or architectures, so you will need to build separate ones for Windows 64-bit, 32-bit, and ARM as per your fleet. Full steps are here:
    https://adobe.ly/4ye86Ju

    For your RDS servers specifically, this part is important: Acrobat is supported and validated on Remote Desktop Services, but the Creative Cloud desktop app is not supported in that kind of environment, which is very likely a big reason behind what you have been facing. There is a dedicated RDS guide that covers the supported Server versions, the profile roaming your users will need, and the tuning to keep things lean:
    https://adobe.ly/4y2bp6c

    On licensing, Named User Licensing is the preferred activation method for these deployments. It is managed through the Admin Console and works with the standalone install, no Creative Cloud desktop app needed.

    Do let us know which Windows Server version your RDS hosts are running and whether your users are on Named User Licensing, and we will help you map out the cleanest path from where you are right now. We are happy to stay with this till it is fully sorted.

    Thanks,
    ^AV

    1 reply

    Community Manager
    AnkitVermaCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    September 21, 2026

    Hi ​@Sunny_Luminary21b2,

    Thank you for reaching out, and we're really sorry for the trouble this has caused. A two hour RDS outage taking down 200 users is a serious hit, and we completely understand the frustration here.

    Here's the main thing, and it's good news for you: what you are describing, the per-user processes, the memory and CPU pressure, the high IO, the way it keeps spreading even after you disable startup items, that is the Creative Cloud desktop app, not Acrobat. Acrobat does not need it to run at all. You can remove that piece entirely and still keep Acrobat, which is exactly what you want.

    The cleanest way to do this is to create an Acrobat-only package from the Admin Console. It deploys Acrobat on its own, with none of the Creative Cloud apps bundled in. Kindly go to Packages > Packages, choose Create a package, and use the Acrobat-only workflow. One thing to plan for: a single package cannot span operating systems or architectures, so you will need to build separate ones for Windows 64-bit, 32-bit, and ARM as per your fleet. Full steps are here:
    https://adobe.ly/4ye86Ju

    For your RDS servers specifically, this part is important: Acrobat is supported and validated on Remote Desktop Services, but the Creative Cloud desktop app is not supported in that kind of environment, which is very likely a big reason behind what you have been facing. There is a dedicated RDS guide that covers the supported Server versions, the profile roaming your users will need, and the tuning to keep things lean:
    https://adobe.ly/4y2bp6c

    On licensing, Named User Licensing is the preferred activation method for these deployments. It is managed through the Admin Console and works with the standalone install, no Creative Cloud desktop app needed.

    Do let us know which Windows Server version your RDS hosts are running and whether your users are on Named User Licensing, and we will help you map out the cleanest path from where you are right now. We are happy to stay with this till it is fully sorted.

    Thanks,
    ^AV

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