Acrobat is uninstalling itself from Creative Cloud

Thank you for the quick response.

All affected computers are Windows 11 and are managed by SCCM. They all use the Creative Cloud desktop which was downloaded from Adobe’s own site. The Acrobat is the current subscription version (just Acrobat, not the full Creative suite of apps) and is deployed manually, not through a script.

When Acrobat disappears is shows as not installed. There is no PDF application available except web browsers at that point.

Thank you

Hello @stephanied5,

I hope you are doing well, and we're sorry for the trouble you had. Could you please share more details about the issue?

Are these users on Windows or macOS, and are they using the Creative Cloud Desktop app (latest version)? What OS version and Acrobat version/build are affected?

Is Acrobat deployed via Creative Cloud (named user licensing) or via SCCM/packaged deployment (serialized or enterprise package)?

When Acrobat disappears, does it show as “Not installed” in Creative Cloud, or does it remain listed but fails to launch?

Do you have any auto-update or package enforcement policies in SCCM (e.g., Acrobat Pro vs Reader conflicts or detection rules)?

Suggestions:

(Creative Cloud sync reset):

1. Open Creative Cloud Desktop

2. Click your profile icon > Sign out

3. Close the app

4. Open Windows Credential Manager

5. Go to Windows Credentials

6. Remove entries named Adobe User Info

7. Reopen Creative Cloud and sign back in

Check licensing sync and Admin Console provisioning

Even if licenses look assigned, provisioning issues can remove access and make apps appear uninstalled.

Admin check:

1. Go to Admin Console > Products

2. Select Acrobat / Creative Cloud product

3. Open Users tab

4. Confirm status = Completed (not “No access”)

If provisioning drops or re-syncs, Creative Cloud may remove access to installed apps.

Investigate SCCM / Software Centre conflicts

Adobe officially supports SCCM deployments, but SCCM can uninstall apps if detection rules or supersedence are configured.

Key things to check in SCCM:

• Any “Required” deployments targeting Acrobat or Reader

• Supersedence rules (Reader replacing Acrobat or vice versa)

• Detection methods misidentifying Acrobat as non-compliant

• Any uninstall program tied to remediation

Note: Even if only “Reader” is visible, the unified Acrobat installer can replace or remove existing installs depending on how it’s deployed.

Watch for unified installer (Acrobat + Reader) behavior

Adobe’s current deployment model uses a single 64-bit unified installer.

• Acrobat and Reader share the same base install

• Features are enabled based on licensing

• Installing one package can remove or replace another silently.

Check Creative Cloud/admin policies

If users suddenly lose install rights or app visibility:The

• Apps tab may be hidden

• Self-service installs may be disabled

• Updates or app access may be restricted

Admin-side fix:

• Ensure users are in the correct product profile

• Confirm self-service install is enabled (if intended)

• Have users sign out/in to refresh policies

If the issue still persists, we recommend contacting the Enterprise support team via the admin console section, and the dedicated team will be able to assist you further.

I hope the above suggestions help, and please reach out if you need any assistance.

Regards,

Anand Sri.