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Can't save (overwrite). Forced to "save as" every time

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
February 9, 2023
16 replies
15824 views

I am using Adobe Acrobat Pro. I used to have the ability to scan and save a document as a pdf file. Then edit that saved document and re-save as the same file name. I recently got a new computer and re-downloaded the program. Now every time I make changes to a document, I cannot simply "save". It forces me to "save as" every time (thus, creating a 2nd file). I'm sure I'm just missing something in the settings but I can't find it.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

Pam

Correct answer Amal Jaiswal

Hi @FRNZZZ ,

Thank you for taking the time to try the suggested troubleshooting steps. I understand how inconvenient this behavior can be, especially when it prevents you from saving changes to your PDF normally.

This appears to be related to a technical limitation involving the Preview Pane in Windows File Explorer.

When the Preview Pane is enabled and a PDF is selected, Windows Explorer loads the file to display its preview using a PDF preview handler. While doing so, Windows keeps an open handle to the PDF. Acrobat may interpret this as the file being in use by another process and, as a result, prevent changes from being saved directly to the original file.

As a workaround, please try disabling the Preview Pane in File Explorer:

File Explorer > View > Preview Pane, or press Alt + P.

Once the Preview Pane is disabled, you should be able to open, edit, and save the PDF in Acrobat without encountering this issue.

If you’d like to share your feedback with the product team or request an enhancement to this behavior, you can submit it through our Wish form.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

~Amal

FRNZZZ

Participant

Hi. Thank you for quick response.

- What version of Windows and what version of Acrobat are you running? Windows 11 Pro and our Terminal server.

- Is the file stored locally, or is it on a network drive or a synced folder - network drive

The practical workaround, if you want to keep Preview Pane enabled overall: just make sure the file you're editing isn't the one currently selected/previewed in Explorer when you hit save in Acrobat. Click on a different file (or an empty area) in Explorer first, save in Acrobat, then go back to previewing your file afterward. It's an extra step, but it lets you keep the pane on for everything else. -- this does not work. Im editing a file and switch the preview file with photo or excel file and still does the same thing. Even if I close the file explorer and overwrite the pdf file in acrobat still getting the notification. But if the file is in my desktop even if preview pane is ON, it does save.

Amal Jaiswal

Correct answer

Community Manager

Hi @FRNZZZ ,

Thank you for taking the time to try the suggested troubleshooting steps. I understand how inconvenient this behavior can be, especially when it prevents you from saving changes to your PDF normally.

This appears to be related to a technical limitation involving the Preview Pane in Windows File Explorer.

When the Preview Pane is enabled and a PDF is selected, Windows Explorer loads the file to display its preview using a PDF preview handler. While doing so, Windows keeps an open handle to the PDF. Acrobat may interpret this as the file being in use by another process and, as a result, prevent changes from being saved directly to the original file.

As a workaround, please try disabling the Preview Pane in File Explorer:

File Explorer > View > Preview Pane, or press Alt + P.

Once the Preview Pane is disabled, you should be able to open, edit, and save the PDF in Acrobat without encountering this issue.

If you’d like to share your feedback with the product team or request an enhancement to this behavior, you can submit it through our Wish form.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

~Amal

FRNZZZ

Participant

This happens to me. Disabling the preview pane fix the issue. However, what to do if user wants to have the preview pane enabled and at the same time save/overwrite the file. What will be the fix? I have already unchecked the security settings mentioned above and still does the same thing….

Amal Jaiswal

Community Manager

Hi @FRNZZZ ,

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out. We are sorry for the trouble you are experiencing.

A couple of quick questions so we can narrow this down:

- What version of Windows and what version of Acrobat are you running?
- Is the file stored locally, or is it on a network drive or a synced folder (OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.)?

When Preview Pane is on and a PDF is selected, Explorer opens a handle on that file to render the thumbnail. Acrobat reads that handle as the file being "in use," so it blocks the normal save and forces "Save As" instead.

The practical workaround, if you want to keep Preview Pane enabled overall: just make sure the file you're editing isn't the one currently selected/previewed in Explorer when you hit save in Acrobat. Click on a different file (or an empty area) in Explorer first, save in Acrobat, then go back to previewing your file afterward. It's an extra step, but it lets you keep the pane on for everything else.

You may also go through a similar community thread where this specific Preview Pane behavior is discussed in more detail, in case it helps:
https://adobe.ly/3StjCAK

Hope this will help.

~Amal

try67

Community Expert

Go to the Edit menu (or under the Acrobat menu on a Mac computer) - Preferences - Security (Enhanced) and uncheck the "Enable Enhanced Security" box, as well as "View in Protected Mode", "Run in AppContainer" or anything else with a similar name.