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Ken5DC5
Participant
May 6, 2026 8:07 PM UTC
Answered

Disable "Bookmarks" Side Panel whenever opening a PDF

98% of what I open are billing statements. I want to see ONLY the statement. The bookmarks window is a pain in the behind and it waste my time to have to close it not to mention the frustration as a result.

 

We pay out the wazoo for this subscription for all the tools when we use only a few of them. It would be incumbent upon Adobe to design it so it works in a fashion best suited for the users who have been faithful for years. Altering things that make life more difficult is an inspiration to look for alternatives. And, more are popping up. They may not be perfect but if they work as needed, it’s a loss to Adobe.

      Meenakshi Negi
      Meenakshi NegiCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      May 7, 2026 11:21 AM UTC

      Hi Ken5DC5,


      Thank you for reaching out, and sorry to hear about your experience.


      There is no direct option to keep the bookmarks hidden in Acrobat. However, if it happens only with the billing statements, it may be the file itself. Please check the initial settings applied for the document. Open the PDF in Acrobat, go to Menu > Document Properties > Initial view.


      If there are any initial view settings applied to the PDF,  it overrides the Acrobat settings. However, you may try the following:


      1. Try to manually collapse and lock the clean view. Click the small arrow icon on the left panel to collapse it. Acrobat will respect this more consistently once “Restore last view” is enabled.


      1. To ensure Acrobat remembers your layout:

      • Open any PDF

      • Close the Bookmarks panel (left sidebar)

      • Go to Menu >Preferences >Documents

      • Enable the option: Restore last view settings when reopening documents

      • Click on the OK button at the bottom of the Preference window.

      1. Disable auto-opening of Tools/side panels. Some layouts automatically reopen panels.

      • Go to: Menu > Preferences > General

      • Look for “Open Tools pane for each document”

      • Uncheck it and click OK button at the bottom of the Preference window.

      See if this helps.


      You may share your suggestion on this with the team using the following page: https://adobe.ly/3QTYtPb.


      Let us know if we can be of any help.


      Thanks,

      Meenakshi

      ‘

      View reply

      7 replies

      nagaco@gmail.com
      Known Participant
      Sep 9, 2026 8:31 PM UTC

      This does NOT work and it's a fucking pain in the fucking ass.

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        Dave Creamer of IDEAS
        Community Expert
        Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        Sep 9, 2026 10:24 PM UTC

        Can you upload a PDF that is giving you trouble?

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        David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
        nagaco@gmail.com
        Known Participant
        Sep 10, 2026 4:51 PM UTC

        Hi Dave, sure

         

        [personal information removed by moderator]

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        Dave Creamer of IDEAS
        Community Expert
        Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        May 7, 2026 4:16 PM UTC

        You can vote for the feature here:

        https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/47013919-parking-hiding-the-bookmark-panel

        Translate
        David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
        Meenakshi Negi
        Community Manager
        Meenakshi NegiCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
        Community Manager
        May 7, 2026 11:21 AM UTC

        Hi Ken5DC5,


        Thank you for reaching out, and sorry to hear about your experience.


        There is no direct option to keep the bookmarks hidden in Acrobat. However, if it happens only with the billing statements, it may be the file itself. Please check the initial settings applied for the document. Open the PDF in Acrobat, go to Menu > Document Properties > Initial view.


        If there are any initial view settings applied to the PDF,  it overrides the Acrobat settings. However, you may try the following:


        1. Try to manually collapse and lock the clean view. Click the small arrow icon on the left panel to collapse it. Acrobat will respect this more consistently once “Restore last view” is enabled.


        1. To ensure Acrobat remembers your layout:

        • Open any PDF

        • Close the Bookmarks panel (left sidebar)

        • Go to Menu >Preferences >Documents

        • Enable the option: Restore last view settings when reopening documents

        • Click on the OK button at the bottom of the Preference window.

        1. Disable auto-opening of Tools/side panels. Some layouts automatically reopen panels.

        • Go to: Menu > Preferences > General

        • Look for “Open Tools pane for each document”

        • Uncheck it and click OK button at the bottom of the Preference window.

        See if this helps.


        You may share your suggestion on this with the team using the following page: https://adobe.ly/3QTYtPb.


        Let us know if we can be of any help.


        Thanks,

        Meenakshi

        ‘

        Translate
        TabiTucci
        Participant
        Oct 28, 2026 2:51 AM UTC

        This only works for reopening a file. This will not work when opening new files.

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