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mmanausa
mmanausa
Participant
November 10, 2015
Answered

Adobe Acrobat DC always opens PDF maximized, how do I stop this?

  • November 10, 2015
  • 9 replies
  • 47144 views

whenever I open a PDF file for the first time, Acrobat DC opens maximized.  When I resize it to the size I like the next time I open it is good.

I open many new PDF files daily and with a 30" monitor I do NOT want to resize constantly.

The fix for Reader DC did not work for Acrobat DC

Thanks

    Correct answer trapdoorsopen

    Even though Adobe's reg value of irandom was of no help to me, I spent some time going through a machine that worked and one that didn't...and I fixed it!

    Hopefully this will help others:

    HKCU\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobt\DC\ExitSection

    change bLastExitNormal from 1 to 0

    After doing this, Acrobat actually remembers its window size and location on my screen!  Both when launching from a PDF itself or the program's icon.  Finally, I can get back to living.

    Adobe - fix this in an upcoming patch.  Thanks.

    9 replies

    J
    Johnnie322654745h21
    Participant
    September 13, 2023

    I'm using Acrobat Pro, though there is no "Pro" in the registry, just 15, 17, and DC. I am having a similar issue: 

    When I already have a PDF open, window not maximized (sized), and open another PDF with a link from Word, the window becomes maximized. But if I open a second PDF document with Windows Explorer, it stays non-maximized and doesn't mess with the window size. I cannot find an Adobe setting for this.

    C
    Casey29949741hsb3
    Participant
    May 18, 2023

    Old question but problem still exists for many. Here's the coding-free fix. Open Adobe without opening a document. (I've got Pro.) Click Edit (top toolbar) and select Preferences (bottom of dropdown). Under 'Default Layout and Zoom', click the Zoom dropdown. Select the size you want pdfs to open. Note: In my Adobe Pro, I selected "75 %" from the dropdown and got an error that a value must be entered. I typed 75 into the Zoom field and clicked OK. Now all pdfs open at 75%.

    A
    Anonymous
    August 10, 2017

    Thank you.  None of the other so-called workarounds worked, but this one did.  I have a message to Adobe:  "If it is not broken, stop trying to fix it."  Now that this simple reg change made the DC reader open according to last opened size, I am going to look for a way to stop Adobe from automatically updating.

    A
    Anonymous
    March 14, 2016

    Open Acrobat Reader DC resize it and close it

    Change this value and change it back to 0

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\ExitSection

    bLastExitNormal

    open Acrobat Reader DC

    This is just another of a long list of Adobe issues caused by the developers who will deny and get hurt if you bring them up

    trapdoorsopen
    trapdoorsopenCorrect answer
    Participating Frequently
    December 10, 2015

    Even though Adobe's reg value of irandom was of no help to me, I spent some time going through a machine that worked and one that didn't...and I fixed it!

    Hopefully this will help others:

    HKCU\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobt\DC\ExitSection

    change bLastExitNormal from 1 to 0

    After doing this, Acrobat actually remembers its window size and location on my screen!  Both when launching from a PDF itself or the program's icon.  Finally, I can get back to living.

    Adobe - fix this in an upcoming patch.  Thanks.

      F
      finnethians
      Participant
      December 10, 2015

      Thanks for tracking this down. bLastExitNormal change seems to be working for me too!

      F
      finnethians
      Participant
      December 10, 2015

      Same here. Adobe Acrobat DC always starts maximized.

      Just spent 45 minutes in a chat session with Adobe support. He claimed it was a user profile issue and since if he opened the program as administrator (Win 10 Pro x64) that it wasn't Adobe's fault and to contact Microsoft. He didn't have an answer when I asked why it only happened with Acrobat DC and why other people were complaining about the same issue.

      He even deleted all the registry keys for current user \ software \ adobe \ yada yada with no change.

      It's unreasonable to expect that I will run a program as administrator, especially since this is a business computer with multiple logins.

      Incredibly annoying on a large monitor.  Winkey-downarrow every time to 'restore'. Sigh.

      trapdoorsopen
      trapdoorsopen
      Participating Frequently
      December 10, 2015

      If I run as administrator, it still always opens maximized.  It's not a user profile/Microsoft problem.  It's an Adobe bug.

      trapdoorsopen
      trapdoorsopen
      Participating Frequently
      December 10, 2015

      Also, I had the issue on Windows 8.1 Enterprise on the same hardware before going to Windows 10 Enterprise (clean install, not upgrade).  So it's not isolated to 10.  Also, it didn't happen with the original build of DC.  It's a regression that was introduced in newer builds.

      Ayush__Jain
      Adobe Employee
      Ayush__Jain
      Adobe Employee
      November 24, 2015

      Hi,

      If you're experiencing the problem related to window remaining in maximized state, here is the resolution -

      For Windows machines, key - "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\WebResource" and value name - "irandom", modify the value to 0x00001000 in hex or 4096 in decimal.

      For Mac machines, the changes need to made in the plist file "com.adobe.acrobat.DC.WebResource.plist" inside "/Library/Preferences/".

      To make these changes, open any plist editor (you can download Pref Setter for this purpose).

      Within Pref Setter (or the plist editor of your choice), press CMD + O & within the Finder dialog, press CMD + SHIFT + G (Go to Folder) --> Type "/Library/Preferences/" and press enter. Select the plist file "com.adobe.acrobat.DC.WebResource.plist" for editing. Within the Pref Setter window, change the value of "irandom" to 4000 & save the plist.

      If you are facing a similar issue in Reader as well, please make similar changes in the plist file "com.adobe.reader.DC.WebResource.plist" inside "/Library/Preferences/".

      This workaround should work till we roll out a proper fix.

      Thanks,

      Ayush Jain

        mmanausa
        mmanausaAuthor
        Participant
        November 24, 2015

        "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\WebResource


        does not exist on my machine (win 7 pro), did you mean:


        "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\WebResource


        either way, I set irandom to 4096 everywhere it was found, nothing changed, same problem.  I had tried this a few weeks ago as this fix is for Reader, while my problem is with Acrobat DC.

        trapdoorsopen
        trapdoorsopen
        Participating Frequently
        December 7, 2015

        I have the same problem on Windows 10, also with a 30" monitor (well, 2x 30" and 2x 24").  I tried the regedit and it made no difference - Acrobat DC always launches maximized.  I use PDFs all day, everyday, so it's very annoying to have to constantly resize this window.

        To clarify, mine ALWAYS opens maximized - if I launch the program from Start or a taskbar pin, or if I double click a PDF to open it.  If I change the window to a size I want, it is always ignored and will always open the window maximized on the next launch.

        Is there a working workaround?  What is the timeline for a real fix?  Thanks.

        MN_HR_Lady
        MN_HR_Lady
        Participant
        November 12, 2015

        I went to File > Properties > Initial View and adjusted settings there and it has worked for me (Windows).  I have both "Resize window to initial page" and "Open in Full Screen mode" UNchecked.  I left Magnification set to Default but I bet you could try changing that too. 

        mmanausa
        mmanausaAuthor
        Participant
        November 12, 2015

        Full Screen Mode is not the same as "Maximize/Restore Down" windows options.  I am referring to the 'Maximize' button that is on the top right of all Windows.  There is a large thread for Reader DC on this but their fix using REGEDIT does not work for Acrobat DC.

        H
        howardh5178374
        Participant
        November 12, 2015

        I have the same problem running Adobe Acrobat DC on the Mac.

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