Is Box Select gone?

Hello @finn_5972

I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out.

Adding to what our community expert shared, the Box Select feature is still available in Adobe Acrobat, but its visibility and functionality may depend on: 

The version and subscription track (e.g., Reader vs. Pro vs. Standard).
Language settings.
A corrupted or incomplete installation.

Disable "Hand Tool Selects Images Before Text"

Navigate to: Menu → Preferences → General, Uncheck: Make Hand Tool Select Images Before Text. This change ensures that drag actions are more likely to select text rather than treat content as images. You can reenable it as needed.

Set Touch Mode to "Never", Go to: Menu→ Preferences → General, Under Touch Mode, select Never instead of Auto-detect. This prevents touch-oriented behaviors from overriding mouse gestures. You can reenable it as needed.

Check Language Settings
Some tools may not appear if the language is misconfigured: Go to Menu > Preferences > Language. Set Application Language to “Choose at application startup”. Restart Acrobat and select English when prompted.

Disable Protected Mode Temporarily: Menu → Preferences → Security (Enhanced), Uncheck Enable Protected Mode at startup, then restart Acrobat. Be sure to re-enable it afterward to maintain security.

Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 25.001.20630, Planned update, Aug 18, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again.

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

@finn_5972 hmmm...ask your colleague to 'disable new Acrobat' to see if the box select is available?