Reader Screen Goes Black and Cannot Be Closed Down

Question

When I open a pdf file in Adobe Reader, the screen goes black and a partial message appears at the center of the screen saying, " Let's get you started." This locks up everything. I have to open task manager to close Reader and when I do, it shows that two copies of Reader are running at once. This started when I upgraded to Windows 11. This question was asked by someone else in the community on December 13, 2025, but the solution provided at that time does not work in this case. Just curious if this is an ongoing issue for anyone else.

fashionable_gift2183 · Answer

Hello!Yes, this is a known Windows 11 issue with Adobe Reader where the app freezes on a black screen showing “Let’s get you started” and spawns two processes. Many users have reported it after recent updates, especially 24H2. The most common workaround e-zpassnc is disabling the new Acrobat UI in Preferences, though repairing or reinstalling Reader, running it in Windows 10 compatibility mode, or keeping both Windows and Reader fully updated can also help until Adobe releases a permanent fix.

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