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Bob at IndigoHealth
Inspiring
November 20, 2025
Answered

Adobe Acrobat cannot start the image editing application you’ve specified

  • November 20, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 167 views

New issue. This happens on two different Windows 11 computers running the latest version of Acrobat.

  1. Open a PDF created from a scanned document.
  2. If using the old interface, tight-click the document and select "Edit a PDF"
  3. Select "Edit using Photoshop" (or its equivalent in the new interface).

 

Acrobat displays an error message:

 

"Adobe Acrobat cannot start the image editing application you’ve specified. Verify the image editing application location on the Content Editing panel in Preferences."

 

The path in Preferences is correct.

 

The image DOES automatically open in Photoshop, but changes to the image from Photoshop are not loaded into Acrobat.

 

This same behavior happens if I try to edit the image in Paint.

Correct answer Bob at IndigoHealth

Adobe tech support gave me a work-around that resolves the problem:

  1. Open Preferences/Security (Enhanced)
  2. Deselect "Enable Protected Mode at startup"

Obviously, this isn't an optimal long-term solution. Hopefully, others can verify this problem and Adobe will fix it.

2 replies

Bob at IndigoHealth
Bob at IndigoHealthAuthorCorrect answer
Inspiring
November 20, 2025

Adobe tech support gave me a work-around that resolves the problem:

  1. Open Preferences/Security (Enhanced)
  2. Deselect "Enable Protected Mode at startup"

Obviously, this isn't an optimal long-term solution. Hopefully, others can verify this problem and Adobe will fix it.

Meenakshi_Negi
Legend
November 20, 2025

Hi Bob at IndigoHealth,

 

Thank you for reaching out, and sorry about the trouble caused.

 

As mentioned, you get the error message when trying to edit the scan PDF.  Please let us know if the same issue occurs, when trying to edit the image in text PDF. If you have not checked, please try once and confirm. 

 

Did this started recently? If yes, could you please confirm if you have made any recent changes. 

Please share the Acrobat and OS version in use. it would be really helpful if you can share the screen recording of the steps used and the PDF on which issue occurs. 

 

Let us know if you need any help.

 

Thanks,

Meenakshi

Bob at IndigoHealth
Inspiring
November 20, 2025

Hi Meenakshi,

Acrobat: Continuous Release | Version 2025.001.20937 | 64-bit

Windows: 25H2 (OS build 26200.7171)

A bit more information: Adobe tech support instructed me to deselect "Options / Enable Protected Mode at startup". That made the problem go away.

I also posted this same information in the (almost completely unuseable) "uservoice" website for reporting bugs.