Participant

Answered

Choosing between the current and previous Acrobat interfaces

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
June 22, 2023
351 replies
220626 views

Why? Why do you "creators" feel a need to completely change the layout of toolbars, etc. in a program?! Do you have nothing to do so you just search out what you can do to aggravate us? Adobe Acrobat DC is now TOTALLY different in the toolbar layouts! WHY???

Correct answer BaniVerma

Hi all,

How do I switch between the current and previous Acrobat interfaces?
Acrobat lets you choose between the current and previous (classic) interface, so you can use whichever fits your workflow (where the option is supported in your version).

Switch to the previous (classic) interface:

Windows: Menu (hamburger, upper-left) > Disable new Acrobat
macOS: View > Disable new Acrobat

When prompted, select Restart to relaunch Acrobat in the previous interface. To return, select View > Enable new Acrobat and restart again.
Reference: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/get-started/preferences-and-settings/switch-new-acrobat.html

Don't see "Disable new Acrobat"?
The option depends on your Acrobat version. First, update to the latest release: Menu > Help > Check for updates, then restart Acrobat and look again.

Why does Acrobat offer two interfaces?
The current experience groups tools into workflow-based categories (editing, commenting, signing, organizing, and sharing) to make common tasks easier to find across desktop, web, and mobile.
Adobe continues to refine the experience and provides the option to switch between the current and previous interfaces where supported.

Reference: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/learn-new-acrobat.html

Thanks,

^BS

Show previous replies

J

jbsomewhere

Participant

What a completely useless and arbitrary change!! Why? Why? Keep your job by making a better product and stop reading Microsoft's Ten Steps to Destroying User Trust. And why force the change? I've used Adobe for ages and I've never seen you break a product. Roll it back. Take your lumps. Move on.

jane-e

Community Expert

What a completely useless and arbitrary change!! Why? Why? Keep your job...
By @jbsomewhere

You are talking to volunteers who do not work for Adobe and are just trying to help. Have you disabled the New Experience yet? We keep repeating the steps because few people seem to be reading the thread.

To disable the new experience,

Windows: Click the hamburger menu ( ) at the upper left corner and choose Disable new Acrobat.
macOS: Go to View > Disable new Acrobat.

Jane

J

jbsomewhere

Participant

The post is directed at Adobe's team, not the very helpful volunteers that post to this forum.

T

tonya76597886

Participant

Totally agree why the change which has cost way to much time out of my day stuffing around with this complete waste of time progrsamme.

I wouldnt have purchased it in this layout so not sure why you feel it would be a good move ???

jane-e

Community Expert

not sure why you feel it would be a good move ???
By @tonya76597886

Tonya, you might want to ask the product developers instead of other users. Adobe staff has an Adobe logo and Adobe Employee tag. So far, none have been on this thread.

You can comment and Upvote on UserVoice where the product developers will see it:

https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/47082691-ditch-the-2023-user-interface-in-acrobat

Jane

M

Maria Lourdes32071115kuvj

Participant

Agree 100% with Reginal. I have spent more time navigating the convoluted interface than actually accomplishing my tasks. If I can't revert, will unsubscribe and look for an option. This is unconscionable.

jane-e

Community Expert

If I can't revert, will unsubscribe.
By @Maria Lourdes32071115kuvj

Yes, you can revert. See the correct answers at the very top — and repeated multiple times throughout this thread. If you don't see them please let us know and we can post them again for you.

Jane

Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com

Legend

This set of instructions shows how to do it on both Mac and Windows and has screen captures.

Very easy to do.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/acrobat-2023-how-to-revert-to-classic-gui-user-in...

|    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |

M

Monika32030358zdj4

Participant

I don't mind the layout changes - it took me a minute but I was able to find what I needed. The problem for me is that it's unstable. It is so hard to do simple text edits (italics, color, font size, etc.) and then all of the sudden all of my changes will be lost and I just see random boxes. It's just not working like it's supposed to yet. I need to be productive and can't afford trying 5 times before I get something to work. Reverting back now...

JDJAWS

Participant

I've always found Acrobat to be temperamental. Lots of weird behaviors.

D

David28700586qu9v

Participant

Users have not got time to learn a new interface when they have a job to do by a deadline. And then re-write the instructions for everybody else. Where is the button to quickly revert to the old interface we are familiar with?

kglad

Community Expert

@David28700586qu9v

win: click the upper left hamburger menu > disable new acrobat

mac: click view > disable new acrobat

D

David28700586qu9v

Participant

Thanks.

M

Mike26559825pi46

Participant

Apparently functionality and usability are no longer important in design. Speed is also not relevant, as the new version is much slower too. I take my hat off to adobe, they must have put a lot of effort into making the new improved version, slower, harder to use, less intuitive, and generally worse than the previous version, in most recognisable ways. It is a true achievement and must have taken genuine effort. Personally I would be ashamed as a coder or brand if I had created something like that, but I am impressed that adobe have the confidence to just throw caution to the wind and say hey, wer'e going to do this anyway.

B

Bonnie241539314h01

Inspiring

One key thing Adobe's editors forgot in the new structure that you have to stumble through hopelessly looking for the selection you want is The Undo command! Some symbols tell you what they are when you hover over them; others require users to guess, but you cannot undo your last action if you think wrong. I am afraid to save my work in this setup because I do not want to deal with what I cannot undo. I was trying to fix some images and text improvements, and others are wonky. Concerning the drawing feature, you can only set the opacity once, which converts for both options. Therefore, if you want to draw a circle, it lets you draw a red one, but try to correct it, and you get a red dot. I converted the ink color to black, set the center opacity to zero, and everything vanished. I selected the circle outline, modified the opacity, and got a dot.

I have read that I can discontinue this, but will I lose the work I have done with this? Will it return to what I had before you put this thing in full function? I am leaving my computer on all night to avoid losing what I may want to save (though I am not sure much of the modification is worth saving). It might have been easier for everyone if you introduced it with a demo with instructions and identified everything rather than letting us wander through this maze.

Bonnie241539314h01

Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com

Legend

OI have read that I can discontinue this, but will I lose the work I have done with this? Will it return to what I had before you put this thing in full function?
By @Bonnie241539314h01

Bonnie, when you change the interface, it shouldn't change your file. At least that's what I've experienced so far, but note that isn't guaranteed.

So I'd do this to CYA:

Save the existing file with the new interface.
Do a File / Save As and save the file with a new name; don't overwrite the existing file, leave that one as is.
Then change the interface, and reboot your computer.
Continue working with the new version of file using the "classic" interface.

Just a reminder to everyone, you can revert back to the classic interface by following these instructions for either Mac or Windows:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/acrobat-2023-how-to-revert-to-classic-gui-user-interface/m-p/14052807

And tell Adobe your opinion by voting here: https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/47082691-ditch-the-2023-user-interface-in-acrobat

|    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |

JDJAWS

Participant

The new experience is horrible. I can't do anything. I had to flail around to turn it off. Awful. Awful. Awful.

Just stop.

K

Kyle31939796f63e

Participant

Ditto. At least we can change it back. Note to programmers: you may like change (ie, your bosses may like change..and their bosses order the changes), but most end users do not. (nor to they ever get a vote) I don't have time or the patience to find missing things or figure out how to do something bec of the changes. Please leave the working environment as it is and work on fixing the out of memory errors & crashes instead.