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Answered

Understanding and customizing the current Acrobat interface

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
April 19, 2023
335 replies
127320 views

Hi,

I am trying to write a complaint email but of course, no contact details in this regard, so here I am:

what on earth is going on with this new update of Adobe Acrobat Pro that normally it's supposed to be more user friendly - news flash, it's not - and appart from this, there is this new awful feature that blocks the app whenever I try to handle documents, the app blocks, I can't close, I can't do anything, it just freezes. The only thing that gets me out of there is task manager, and then starting over again.

I did this 3 times, making me losing around 10 minutes for an edit that normally, before this horrible update, it was taking me few seconds... Come on guys WAKE UP!

Correct answer BaniVerma

Hi all,

How do I switch between the current and previous Acrobat interface?

Acrobat includes both the current and previous (classic) interfaces for supported versions where the option is available, so you can choose whichever fits your workflow.

Switch to the previous (classic) interface:

Windows: Menu > Disable new Acrobat
macOS: View > Disable new Acrobat

When prompted, select Restart to relaunch Acrobat with the previous interface. To return to the current interface, select View > Enable new Acrobat and restart Acrobat.

Reference

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/get-started/preferences-and-settings/switch-new-acrobat.html

What's different about the current Acrobat interface?

Previous (Classic) Interface	Current Acrobat Interface
Traditional menu and toolbar layout	Reorganized menus, toolbars, and panels
Frequently used tools available through the classic interface	Workflow-based tool organization
Standard toolbar layout	Customizable toolbar with frequently used tools

The current Acrobat experience organizes common PDF tasks by workflow and provides a more consistent experience across desktop, web, and mobile.

References

Can I customize the Acrobat interface?

Yes. To customize your toolbar:

From the Quick action toolbar, select Add, remove, or reorder tools, then choose Customize toolbar.
Select a tool category, then click the plus icon to add a tool to your toolbar.
Use the arrows to reorder tools, or the trash icon to remove them.
Select Save.

For the latest interface improvements and feature updates, see the current What's New documentation and Acrobat Release Notes.

References

Thanks,

^BS

Show previous replies

1

1ROOF Austin

Participant

I cannot describe how awful this new version operates. I have an incredibly expensive Lenovo that I got for work years ago because of its speed. Nothing has ever caused my computer to move so slow. As soon as I begin editing a pdf in adobe which use to be a breeze, my computer begins to basically over exert itself trying to deal with such a problem ridden program. Please just give us back the old version before everyone just decides to use something else instead thanks.

K

katiec1983940

Participant

I AGREE 1 MILLION Times!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS TERRIBLE. Bring back the older version PLEASE

PLEASE

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

C

Chris23291143ksvl

Participant

I had a big issue with the appearance which looked very modern but wasn't very intuitive or user friendly. Then I discovered that you can easily "Disable New Acrobat" and before you can say "New Adobe is Ugly" it is out with the old, in with the new....

1

1ROOF Austin

Participant

omg thank you for this

sivanl79897949

Participant

Just wanted to add my 2 cents somewhere - the latest update of Acrobat is a DISASTER. Went from a simple interface to HORRENDOUS. I've been a software engineer for over 25 years and this might be the worst interface change I have ever experienced. I normally like Adobe products, but this one is beyond comprehension.

B

Bjorn32081772vspd

Participant

Making it impossible to see both pages pane and comments pane simultaneously. Why?

K

kristenr86894560

Participant

This app is useless at this point. Cant open files, constantly crashing. Nevermind the lack of intuitive interface, it doesn't even function.

E

Elizabeth322362396yb5

Participant

Agreed. I can't use this new interface at all. Combining documents and moving pages is impossible. Bring back the old interface. This new version is almost entirely useless to me and my office. The prior interface was user-friendly. This new one is horrible and not worth paying for.

E

Elizabeth322362396yb5

Participant

FYI-I just called customer service, which was helpful. You can go to Menu (the three lines top left) and drop down to disable the new version and it prompts you to select "restart" button and the older version appears! Thank goodness! Hopefully they will stick with the older, user-friendly version long term.

G

grahamux

Participant

Thanks! That was easy - I was dreading uninstalling and reinstalling today- but GEEZ could not use it anymore. I had such trouble just selecting the page thumbnails. Whew thumbnails on the LEFT and pages are easy to select.

C

Clarice28368575srkv

Participant

Adobe, of ALL apps, Acrobat was the one that needed to change the LEAST. People literally only use it to combine files, make a pdf, shift pages on the sidebar, save and close. We don't need every tiny feature known to mankind, especially when the few good features we did need threw themselves into subfolders or disappeared entirely. I tried to shuffle my page order on the side, and now it makes my entire document disappear when I have to change the order of said pages. This entire update made the app worse. I swear, I breath too hard now and Acrobat is like PERFORMING PAGE RECOGNITION. I don't even have a File-Save As feature on the top like any...other....app....ever. I'm sure it exists SOMEWHERE, but it's not easy to find and I'm losing time on this. Somehow the new interface reads more like a gimmicky phone or iPad app, without the intuitive, easy-to-master design that even cheap apps have. People don't have time to relearn your stupid apps every update. Acrobat was working fine, and if you needed to add new features, why didn't you just... add new features without changing the entire holistic interface design of Acrobat itself. Fixing things that aren't broken by making the fixed thing...broken instead. Totally useless, complete regression in design, non-intuitive. Did your company restructure or something? Is this new AI hype in Photoshop making the head honchos over there think that every app under the Adobe umbrella must also be completely changed as well, to keep up? Why did this gradiose oversight happen in the firstplace... I would love to know. All of this is just my personal opinion, but lord.... what a colossal travesty hahaha

denlaw1217

Participating Frequently

You can still disable the new version and go back to the old version—for
now at least.

denlaw1217

Participating Frequently

Disaster is putting it mildly. I have a deadline TODAY. All I need to do is add Bates Numbers to mulitple documents without combining them. Super simple process until this new version. No help available. After today, if there is another way to add Bates numbers to pdfs I buying it and cancelling this useless subscription. Meantime, I may have to go find my old Bates-stamping machine and some ink. I'll also check and see if I can find some redacting tape and a typewriter. This is ridiculous.

denlaw1217

Participating Frequently

OK, I just spent a half hour on a chat with support. You can currently disable the new version and still use the old one. Go to Adobe at the top left and click on View and then Disable New Version. Hopefully, they will keep that option for awhile. Looks like I can stop looking for my Bates-stamping machine. 😃

denlaw1217

Participating Frequently

UPDATE--Hey folks, I have been so frustrated with Adobe's justification on here of this "improvement," I did something I have never done. I printed out our responses and FedEx'd them to their product executive and copied my letter to the CEO. I am hopeful that I do not get a Roger B. Smith response. See attached.

2024-02-07_Ltr_to_Belsky.pdf

J

Jonathan32161640p9mg

Participant

THIS UPDATE IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. ADOBE SHOULD BE ASHAMED. I'D RECOMMEND SWITCHING TO BLUEBEAM. IF YOU HAVE TO LEARN SOMETHIGN NEW YOU MIGHT AS WELL GET MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.

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