Protected Mode Cache Issue

Hi @Sarvesh33782538lg9o,

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for the trouble, and the delayed response.

In case you are still looking for a solution, you can try the below steps:

• Check File Permissions

  • Ensure that ProtectedModeWhitelistConfig.txt has the correct permissions:
    • Open File Explorer → Navigate to the Acrobat folder.
    • Right-click ProtectedModeWhitelistConfig.txt → Select Properties.
    • Go to the Security tab → Ensure the current user and SYSTEM have Full Control.

• Force Reload the Config File

  • Instead of relaunching Acrobat, try:
    1. Restarting Windows Explorer (Task Manager → Restart "explorer.exe").
    2. Restarting the Acrobat Updater Service:
       • Open Services.msc
       • Locate Adobe Acrobat Update Service
       • Restart the service.

• Check Registry for Cached Config

  • Navigate to:
     

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security
  • Look for any cached entries related to the whitelist and delete them.

• Disable Caching

  • Add a registry key to prevent caching:
     

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown
    • Create a new DWORD value: bDisableCache
    • Set it to 1

• Try Using an Environment Variable

  • If your paths are static, try defining an environment variable in Windows and referencing it in the whitelist file.

• Completely Reset the File Without Exiting Protected Mode

  • If deleting the file and recreating it outside Protected Mode works, try this alternative:
    • Rename ProtectedModeWhitelistConfig.txt (e.g., ProtectedModeWhitelistConfig_old.txt).
    • Create a new file with the updated directories.
    • Restart Acrobat.

Hope this helps.