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Participant
June 20, 2025
Question

How to stop Adobe Reader in upgrading to Acrobat automatically?

  • June 20, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 729 views

Hello everyone,

 

I just downloaded and installed the "Acrobat Reader" a long moment ago. I intended to get the free Reader only. However, I realized it was called "Adobe Acrobat" reader. Now, after an update recently, it pops up a the login screen for credential when I tried to read a pdf. I did not have one, so I tried to bypass it. However, it would just close the app if I tried to skip the logon. Now I cannot use it at all.

 

I wonder if there is a way to stop the "Reader" to upgrade to Acrobat automatically? Or did I just download a wrong version?

Hope you can share any info. Thank you for your help in advance.

Bobson

1 reply

S_S
Community Manager
Community Manager
June 20, 2025

Hi @Ultrabobson,

 

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for your trouble with using Acrobat Reader.

 

Looks like you downloaded the Pro version of Acrobat instead of Reader. Please run the Acrobat cleaner tool https://adobe.ly/4l8UtUS, reboot the computer once, and install the application using the direct link https://adobe.ly/408ExK8 see if that works for you.

 

Another method would be to use the following registry keys to disable Help > Sign In/Sign Out

For Continuous Build:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown]

"bSuppressSignOut"=dword:00000001

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,
Souvik.

try67
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 20, 2025

The Reader and Acrobat installers are the same thing now, since Adobe combined the two applications. It switches (or is supposed to) Reader to Acrobat when it detects that you have a valid subscription, and vice versa.