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JCally
JCally
Participant
May 8, 2026
Question

Problem when restoring a catalog containing PDFs

  • May 8, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 50 views

I am trying to restore a catalog backup which contains photos and PDF files. The photos restore successfully but all the PDFs are listed in a box headed “The file(s) listed below could not be restored”.and do not appear to have been restored. Should I be able to restore the PDFs or has that functionality been deprecated?

    1 reply

    Glenn 8675309
    Glenn 8675309
    Legend
    May 8, 2026

    Support for standard PDFs has been limited in recent versions, favoring only "Photoshop PDFs" (PDFs with layered PSD data). The Organizer is primarily designed for photos and videos, meaning standard Acrobat PDFs may not import or display properly in newer Organizer catalogs.

     

    • Supported Format: Organizer works best with "Photoshop PDF" formats, which allow you to view, tag, and open them in the Elements Editor.
    • Alternative for Standard PDFs: If you have standard Acrobat PDFs, you may need to use Adobe Bridge (a free desktop app) or Adobe Acrobat for proper management, as the Elements Organizer has reduced support for these in recent years.
    • Printing to PDF: You can create PDF files from within Elements (via the Print menu) to manage photo sets, and these are often better recognized
    JCally
    JCallyAuthor
    Participant
    May 9, 2026

    Thanks Glenn. Seems strange that Adobe don’t support the file format that they developed. It’s a shame because I haven’t found a better way of organising PDFs.

    99jon
    99jon
    Legend
    May 9, 2026

    You could install Adobe Bridge which is a free app. It works as a browser so you don’t have to import files. It will see everything on your computer, including PDF files. You can also right-click on any thumbnail and choose to open in the PSE Editor.


    https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/bridge.html

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