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Joseph29822415a4bg
Oct 19, 2026 9:36 PM UTC
Question

Autotag sometimes removes things from the PDF

So this is something I’ve noticed while updating a bunch of old pdf report and making them ADA compliant that if I’m not careful when I run Autotag parts of the pdf, usually images or figures as they’re called can disappear and there’s no way to get them back then to close the file and not save the progress that has been made. 

Example:

Before Autotag 

After Autotag:

 

 

To make matters worse if I remove this page from the pdf, autotag it, then put it back it it detects the new page isn’t tagged and flags it as such so I’m stuck doing it. 

I’m at a loss at the moment and would appreciate any ideas how to make it not do this. 

Thanks for your time,

    4 replies

    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 20, 2026 12:01 PM UTC

    Hello ​@Joseph29822415a4bg 

     

    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for sharing the details. Sorry for the trouble you had.

     

    In addition to the what our community product expert has shared, Please try the following:

    Work on a fresh copy and update Acrobat via Help > Check for updates.
    On separate copies, test AutoTag with cloud-based tagging enabled and disabled under Preferences > Accessibility > Enable cloud-based auto-tagging for accessibility. 


    After tagging, open View > Show/Hide > Side Panels > Content and Accessibility Tags, then use Highlight Content to check whether the figure still exists but is no longer displaying correctly. Reference article: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/cloud-auto-tagging-accessibility-pdfs.html

    If the source file is available, enable tagging in the source application and recreate the PDF, or manually tag the affected figure instead of rerunning AutoTag on the completed document. Referene article: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html

     

    If this remains reproducible, please share your Acrobat version, operating system, source application/export method, whether both tagging modes behave the same, and, if possible, a sanitized before/after sample PDF for investigation. Also, collect the logs from the machne while trying the steps, and share the log id: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-diagnostics.html

     

    I hope this helps, and please reach out if you need any assistance.

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

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    Joseph29822415a4bgAuthor
    Oct 20, 2026 3:53 PM UTC

    Hello Anand, 

     

    I’ve confirmed I am up to date version 26.002.22031. 

     

    I’ve tried both tagging with just local system and tagging with the cloud and both times it removes the figures from the front page as previously shown. Also for the record I’ve found through personal use that autotagging with the cloud creates a lot more problems then just the local machine but that’s an issue for another time. 

    When I use Reading Order it does still show boxes where the figures should be but as you can see from screen captures they are not visible anymore. 

     

     

    Unfortunately this is a file from 2006 and the source is not available.

    It is 100% reproducible as this happens every time I try to make this ada compliant. 

    As for the logs I’m unable to collect them as the option does not exist on the menu. How would you like me to provide you the before and after copies of the file? 

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    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 20, 2026 5:52 PM UTC

    Thanks for the additional details, ​@Joseph29822415a4bg 

     

    Create a copy of the file, and share it with us. To collect the logs, download the log collector tool which is available at the end of the help article here: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-diagnostics.html

    Download the tool, run it, ensure all the log items are selected, generate the logs, and share the log id along with the other requested details.

     

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

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    Pariah Burke
    Community Expert
    Pariah BurkeCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Oct 19, 2026 10:32 PM UTC

    I wish I could offer you some hope, but all I can do is confirm that this happens frequently with Acrobat and has for years.

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