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deborahwork
Known Participant
February 20, 2026
Question

Since 2/17 my "one click" ocr button disappeared from the floating tool bar

  • February 20, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 17 views

For at least two years I  have had an ocr button on the floating tool bar (looks like a little document with a folded over corner). On 2/17 it disappeared. I was able to put that icon back on the tool bar but now it requires an extra click to perform the operation which is simply to make the document text searchable. Please tell me how to get that “one click” function back. It literally will double my work to click twice and I see no reason for that change that benefits me. 

Other details:

Acrobat Pro individual subscription through work (no longer says “Pro” or “DC” - apparently those qualifiers were removed for some unknown reason)
Windows 11 (365) 
New UI (I hate the old one and will not be going back; don’t ask)

Thanks.

    1 reply

    gary_sc
    Community Expert
    gary_scCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 20, 2026

    Somewhere in Adobe’s desire to make changes, they made things harder for too many people. There are two ways to do this. 

     

    One way to do this is to revert to the old user interface. You probably will have to add that icon to the top bar, but I’m not completely sure. The problem with this approach is that if you want to use any of the AI in the current version, those will not be available in the old UI. The other disadvantage is that, at some point, the ability to go back to the old UI will be removed.

    To do that, follow the image below.

    Meanwhile, you can add that icon, and any other tool icon to the floating toolbar at the top left of Acrobat’s window. Click on the ellipse at the bottom of the toolbar to make changes.

    Now, scroll down the various options until you see the OCR option, click on that, then select which function(s) you wish to add to the floating toolbar. Once you select the ones you want, click on the “move to the left” icon, marked in a red square in the screenshot below. Once you’ve added that one icon, and/or others. You can change their place vertically by clicking on the up or down arrows below the red rectangle. Using the trash can, you can remove icons as well.

    Good luck, I hope this helps you.

     

    D
    deborahworkAuthor
    Known Participant
    February 21, 2026

    Gary - I really appreciate your response to my question. Although I really have no interest in using AI in Acrobat, I’m not going back to the old interface. All I want is a one-click OCR button on the floating tool bar. It was there and working just fine until this week and I see no reason for removing it or, as you say, making things more difficult for users. I did your second solution but now it requires TWO clicks to perform the same operation. Those extra clicks add up and I consider it a cost that Adobe has decided to impose on us.

    gary_sc
    Community Expert
    gary_scCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 21, 2026

    I do not disagree with you at all. I do not need to use AI. I mentioned that only because IF you liked or needed AI, you’d not get that in the old UI. 

    My guess is that at some point your copy of Acrobat self-updated itself or something. The tool icons are gone in the new UI. Period. End of Stop.

    Look, I do not work for Acrobat; I’m one of the many folks here in the forums trying to help folks. You can revert to the old UI, as I show above, understanding that that option is likely to end at some point. Acrobat doesn’t listen to me in any special way. They already know where I’m at. 

    Nonetheless, those are your options: put the icon in the Floating toolbar or revert to the old interface. I wish I could tell you something better, but I can’t. Well, I can say I have not yet encountered anyone who has raved about or even liked the new UI. 

    I’m sorry, that’s the way it is now. Maybe it will get better, but do not hold your breath.

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