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glennado
glennado
Known Participant
April 24, 2019
Answered

Check boxes not working on PDF in Mac Preview

  • April 24, 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 27412 views

When I create a PDF in Acrobat that includes check boxes, the check boxes don't work in Mac Preview, even though other form items (like filling in text) work just fine.

FWIW, security is set to none. Latest versions of Acrobat DC and Mac OS.

What's the solution to this? Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Dov Isaacs

The simple truth is that Apple's Preview application on MacOS is not a fully functional processor of PDF files. In fact, Preview not only doesn't handle all aspects of PDF forms, but is known to corrupt such PDF files in some cases. Use either Adobe Acrobat or even the free Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDF files on MacOS.

          - Dov

3 replies

barbara_a7746676
Community Expert
barbara_a7746676Community Expert
Community Expert
April 25, 2019

When I distribute Acrobat forms I always inform recipients that they must use Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader, not Preview. Preview is simple not compatible.

Dov Isaacs
Dov IsaacsCorrect answer
Legend
April 24, 2019

The simple truth is that Apple's Preview application on MacOS is not a fully functional processor of PDF files. In fact, Preview not only doesn't handle all aspects of PDF forms, but is known to corrupt such PDF files in some cases. Use either Adobe Acrobat or even the free Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDF files on MacOS.

          - Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
glennado
glennadoAuthor
Known Participant
April 24, 2019

Oh, I didn't know someone who didn't ask the question could tag it as "Answered." While I appreciate your post, it unfortunately didn't really answer my question.

I know that Preview is not a fully functional PDF processor. Yet I have used (and created in Acrobat DC) many PDFs with check boxes and other features that work flawlessly in Preview. So clearly it can work. My question is about why they're not working now in newly Acrobat DC-created PDFs, and how to fix it, if possible.

I appreciate your advice, but my question was not related to which viewer *I* use. The issue is that I'm making a PDF for others to use, and many use Preview on Mac by default. Many folks aren't savvy enough to know how to download and switch viewers. Again, since I know Preview can handle check boxes in PDFs, and still does perfectly in a bunch I have on hand, my question is about why they're not working for me right now in new Acrobat-made PDFs, and how to fix that. Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Dov Isaacs
Dov Isaacs
Legend
April 24, 2019

And what we are telling you is there is no known fix to force proper behaviour by Preview. Obviously, based on your current experience, Preview can only handle PDF forms check boxes in some instances and not in others. There is no option in Acrobat to create “dumbed down for Preview check boxes” since we have no insight as to what that software is stumbling on and/or why.

I've had a tremendous amount of experience with this. You can't count on Preview to work properly with forms, plain and simple! We've also documented cases of Preview corrupting PDF files with forms. There is nothing that we know of that can force Preview to behave properly either with check marks or anything else in forms or even fully and properly displaying graphically-complex non-forms content.

We wish we could help you further. I'll leave this thread open, but it would be really interesting to get a response that provides a “solution” to you other than to not use Preview given its known “issues.”

             - Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
Bernd Alheit
Community Expert
Bernd AlheitCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 24, 2019

Use Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat.

glennado
glennadoAuthor
Known Participant
April 24, 2019

Bernd, thanks but the issue is about making PDFs that others use (rather than which reader I use). Check boxes in PDFs work in Preview. They've worked before in Acrobat DC-created PDFs. But now they're not. This is what I'm trying to troubleshoot, because I can't control which reader others use. I can suggest one, but many folks aren't savvy enough to switch. It would be better if I could solve this new issue. Thanks!

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