Large pdf files suddenly taking 10+ Minutes to open, if at all

Question

I am using 64 bit Acrobat Pro version 23.6.20360 on a Windows 10 engineering workstation.  Large files, 200 mg for example, are now taking way too long to open and sometimes will not open in as long as I care to wait.  Watching the progress in task manager, the amount of memory acquired by Acrobat increases very slowly as I wait and the 200 Mb document will not open until has allocated over 600 Mb.  I have tried all the suggested fixes which were proposed for previous versions of Acrobat, i. e. turning off  Enhanced Security,  Protected Mode at Startup, and page cache, with no improvement.  This problem did not exist several weeks ago when I last needed to work with large files, but my latest project is now at a critical stage where I need an immediate solution.  Version 23.6.20320 works fine on an otherwise inadequate laptop.   Questions:  how do I fix this quickly and, if that is not possible, how do I replace this version with a previous one that works?

Don Maddock · Accepted Answer

Findings:1. First, determine whether this issue is specific to a particular PDF file ...Before I posted, I verified the problem exists with every large (>200 Mb) file I tried, but I did not try to establish the size threshold  where the issue becomes noticeable.2. ... we recommend trying to repair ...I had reinstalled Acrobat several times and repaired it several times before I posted the problem.  Neither had any effect 4.  ...create a new test user profile ...I really don't have time for this, and there is nothing wrong with my user profile!3.   ... attempt to reset the Adobe Acrobat preferences ...THIS ONE WORKED !!!   I moved the Preference folder elsewhere, restarted Acrobat, and used it on large files for several hours with no reoccurance of the problem. A further observation:  While working through this problem, I returned to the laptop which had a working copy of the September 2023 Update version of Acrobat and did some investigation.  That version continued to work until, in the midst of a session, Acrobat decided to update itself to the October 2023 version.  Following the required restart, Acrobat failed to open the large files exactly as it did on the workstation.  This all happened over a period of about 10 minutes.  Conclusion: the October 2023 is flawed and should never have been released.  So much for allowing future auto updates.

Amal. · Answer

Hi @Don Maddock

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out.

To address the problem you're experiencing, please follow these steps:

First, determine whether this issue is specific to a particular PDF file or if it affects all PDFs. Try opening a different PDF file to see if the problem persists. If the PDF file is located on a shared network or drive, consider downloading it to your local computer and then attempting to open it again.
Since you mentioned that you have the most recent version of the application, we recommend trying to repair the installation from the help menu. Please note that this option is available for Windows users only.
You can also attempt to reset the Adobe Acrobat preferences to their default settings. Here is a guide that explains how to do this: Reset Acrobat Preference Settings to Default.
Another troubleshooting step is to create a new test user profile on your Windows system with full administrative rights. Then, try using the application in this new profile to see if the issue persists.

Once you've gone through these steps, please let us know how it goes. Your feedback will help us further diagnose and resolve the problem.

Regards

Amal

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