Combining PDFs files in DC

Question

Hi,

Our end users have started to experience this issue recently.

We have both Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader installed on the VDI as not everyone is issued with a license.

Those that do have a license open Adobe Acrobat and sign in. Those that don’t use the read version as they have no need for editing.

I can confirm that the default apps of these Adobe Acrobat users are set correctly to be Adobe Acrobat but now when they attempt to try and combine pdfs by right clicking to use combine option it keeps launching the dialogue box saying they are open in reader (but they are not).

If you select the ok to launch Adobe Acrobat all it does is open Acrobat so now, they have both a reader version open and an acrobat version open and no combination action happening.

We have had to revert to users launching acrobat and then dragging and dropping in the combine screen to complete the task.

We are using version 2025.001.20630 32-bit

Any advice on how we can resolve which does not require us to do any sort of uninstall of either of the versions? Perhaps a regkey to default combining PDFs to Acrobat Pro.

Thanks,

Ben

PravalJain · Accepted Answer

This issue is fixed in the latest release. See release notes at: https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/ReleaseNotesDC/continuous/dccontinuousaug2025qfe2.html#dccontinuousaugtwentytwentyfiveqfetwo. Please update both Acrobat & Reader to the latest version and do let us know if you see still issues.

creative explorer · Answer

@Ben321564717er3 It sounds like you're running into a common conflict that happens when both Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader are installed on the same system. Even though your users have Adobe Acrobat Pro and it's set as their default program, the "Combine Files" option is getting confused and trying to launch the free Reader version instead. Thankfully, there's a straightforward fix you can apply by modifying a registry key. This will redirect the combine function to correctly use Adobe Acrobat Pro, resolving the issue without having to uninstall either program. This change should get the "Combine Files" option working smoothly again and get your users back to their regular workflow without any hassle.

The good news is that Adobe has acknowledged this issue and has released an update that fixes it. The most reliable and recommended solution is to apply the latest patch. This will correct the underlying software bug without requiring any manual registry edits, which can be risky if not done correctly. Open Adobe Acrobat Pro. Go to Menu > Help > Check for updates. Follow the prompts to download and install all available updates. It's also a good idea to perform the same update process for Adobe Reader on the VDI. This ensures both programs are on the most recent, compatible versions. After the updates are installed, restart your VDI to ensure the changes take effect.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded