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Participant
April 14, 2019
Answered

Where does Acrobat 11 (Pro) store its meta-data: "Previuoisly-opened" files; Security Policies; Password?

  • April 14, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 3459 views

I've had to re-install Acrobat Pro 11 on a new pc. The old one died; but I was able to recover everything on it (on an external USB HDD).

I need to know where Acrobat Pro 11 stores the following meta-data:

1) the list of "previously-opened" pdf files;

2) My Security policies;

3) The password I used to protect the PDFs that I created.

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Correct answer Test Screen Name

1. For my Acrobat DC, it is in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\AVGeneral\cRecentFiles

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\AcroExt\Acrobat\11.0\cache exists on my system but all the modification dates are years ago, clearly not any current list.

3 What on earth makes you think Acrobat stores your PDF file passwords??

4 replies

Test Screen NameCorrect answer
Legend
April 15, 2019

1. For my Acrobat DC, it is in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\AVGeneral\cRecentFiles

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\AcroExt\Acrobat\11.0\cache exists on my system but all the modification dates are years ago, clearly not any current list.

3 What on earth makes you think Acrobat stores your PDF file passwords??

Legend
April 15, 2019

1 I answered. It’s in the registry.

3 I answered. This is stored nowhere.

PLJProAuthor
Participant
April 14, 2019

I've had to re-install Acrobat Pro 11 on a new pc. The old one died; but I was able to recover everything on it (on an external USB HDD).

I need to know where Acrobat Pro 11 stores the following meta-data:

1) the list of "previously-opened" PDF files;

2) My Security policies;

3) The password I used to protect the PDFs that I created.

I' found some partial answers:

1) the list of "previously-opened" PDF files -- "Recent" list -- for Adobe Reader DC

     C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\AcroExt\Acrobat\11.0\cache

     If there is a Place where the a|Recent" list for Acrobat Pro is stored, I haven 't found it.

2) My Security Policies are stored in the file security-policy.acrodata

     C:\Users\username\ AppData\Roaming\ Adobe\ Acrobat\11.0\Security

I copied all of the files from these folders on my Recover HDD to the same folders on my new PC (I backed-up the files in these folders in the target folders, first; just in case)

And now, I can add these folders to my scripted baxk-ups -- so I'll always know where they are, if I need to re-install them.

3) But, I still don't know where the Password I use to protect the PDFs that I creeate is stored!?!?

     If it's in the Registry, does anyone know where?

PLJProAuthor
Participant
April 14, 2019

I've found where the list of |Recent" files is kept:

     C:\Users\Dick\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\AcroExt\Acrobat\11.0\cache

But, when I copy these files to the same folder on my new pc, Acrobat 11 does not display the info in them.

The only PDFs in my Recent list are the ones I've opened manually.

How do I get Acrobat to "incorporate" the list from the files that I copied to my new pc?

Legend
April 14, 2019

The registry I expect. Not files.

Acrobat doesn’t remember the passwords on files you protect.