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IntSol
IntSol
Participating Frequently
January 23, 2023
Answered

Acrobat DC Pro Won't Open - Windows 10

  • January 23, 2023
  • 13 replies
  • 62540 views

Dear Forum Users & Mr Adobe...
Looking at the Forum, a number of people are encountering the same issue as me...

I have had problems opening PDF files progressively over time (past 6 months) and I reached a point where none of the files I had previously opened/edited would open by double clicking the file, or right clicking the file and selecting <File Open>.  I could open via the back door, viz. Open Acrobat then open the file, however the files would eventually lock up & crash...
I recently upgraded Acrobat to 64 bit which made the problem worse, such that I couldn't open any PDF files at all.
By running the Windows Task Manager I found that Acrobat was running as a background process, force stopping it and restarting did not fix the issue...

 

I de-installed Acrobat and used the AcroCleaner tool for both DC2015 Pro & Reader & DC2022.

I then reinstalled Acrobat, via Adobe Creative Cloud, which automatically installed DC Pro 64 Bit.
And hey presto, I still could not open any PDFs.


After searching Dr Google I found this...
Using Fix No.4 which entails disabling Protected Mode via the Registry my problem is solved, I can now open all PDFs seamlessly...

______________________________
https://www.makeuseof.com/windows-adobe-acrobat-reader-not-opening-pdf/

The following is an excerpt from the above website...

 

Protected Mode is a security feature introduced in Reader 10.0 that protects users from viruses and attacks. This is a good thing for your security, but it sometimes misinterprets files as malicious and doesn't open them correctly.  (Sometimes?!)

As such, you can try temporarily turning off this mode to see if it's preventing the software from opening PDFs. Here's how to do it:

  • Press Win + R to open the Run command.
    Type Regedit and tap Enter to open Registry Editor.
    Paste the following address into the Registry Editor.
  • Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown

Right-click and navigate to New > DWORD Value.

  • Rename the file to "bProtectedMode."
  • Right-click the file and tap on Modify.
  • Change data value to 0 to disable Protected Mode.


Run the PDF file again with Protected Mode off. Keep Protected Mode off if everything works well this time instead of having to turn it on/off many times throughout the day. Of course, this will compromise your security, so it's up to you to decide if it's worth keeping off!

______________________________

Thankyou Adobe for running protected mode in the background and not telling your customers.
And I would like to undertand Mr Adobe, what is the purpose of this "Protected Mode", and who exactly is it you are protecting, your cloud??  I run both Virus & Malware Protection on all my machines.  So what is the purpose of you locking my PC down?
You are in breach of my Privacy!!

Please also note Mr Adobe you have wasted 5 days of my time this month while I have dealt with your under performing "Product".  And I now must set up all my settings (again).  Are you going to compensate me for this time??

And Mr Adobe, don't you dare modify the registry on my PC and blow my registry settings away the next time you deliver me and "upgrade"...
Can I come along and adjust the registry in your machines?  I seriously doubt it...

    Correct answer Eno9

    I just run into the same problem, and after trying different proposed solution, the one below worked for me:

     

    "Close the Acrobat application and try to recreate application preferences once.

    Open Windows search bar -> type regedit and open registry editor
    Open Hkey current user->software->Adobe-> Delete the following keys (folders): Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat Arm, Acrobat Distiller, PDF settings & common file."

    13 replies

    R
    Rosemary35307861luc9
    Participant
    February 13, 2025

    This is absolutely ridiculous. This problem has been going on since at least 2017. That is 8 YEARS! Why has this problem not been corrected? I have to repeatedly uninstall and reinstall software that I am PAYING for. I guess since there isn't really a replacement for this software, Adobe doesn't feel the need to provide a quality product. Unbelievable!

    G
    Giddy_yogi7734
    Participant
    December 8, 2024

    Legend! Thanks! This worked for me too 🙂

      B
      bb_2279
      Participant
      October 8, 2024

      This solved my crash problem - thanks for sharing! 

        B
        bin_0025
        Participant
        October 2, 2024

        You made my day, Sir!

          N
          Newman Homes
          Participant
          September 2, 2024

          Thank you for the information.

          I had tried everything! This has worked after I spent 4 hours following the insturctions found from Adobe and nothing worked. 

          Thanks again!

          T
          taco_7125
          Participant
          August 30, 2024

          Intsol, thank you!!  your solution worked !!

            E
            Eno9Correct answer
            Participant
            May 13, 2024

            I just run into the same problem, and after trying different proposed solution, the one below worked for me:

             

            "Close the Acrobat application and try to recreate application preferences once.

            Open Windows search bar -> type regedit and open registry editor
            Open Hkey current user->software->Adobe-> Delete the following keys (folders): Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat Arm, Acrobat Distiller, PDF settings & common file."

              J
              jenniferm82502104
              Participant
              May 20, 2024

              This worked for me

                H
                hansb29475919
                Participant
                May 9, 2024

                WOW. Thank you. I have been flummoxed and now I am set free. I too want to get in a few choice words to Mr. Adobe but instead I will tank you for helping another traveller on this weary road.

                 

                I
                ignacio35952561fabd
                Participant
                March 8, 2024

                it worked , thanks!

                  B
                  Barney339939636uiz
                  Participant
                  December 1, 2023

                  Your steps did work to fix protected mode. I encounter more problems after I could finaly get Adobe to open. I get a white rectangle shapped box with the spinning blue "circle of death" image from Win 10 in the center of the white box. It never will open a pdf file or do anything further, for that matter. This Adobe Reader version is a joke. It won't work on my Dell desktop. I've given up. Tried uninstalling, reinstalling it, repair options.....nothing has worked. Microsoft Edge browser isn't good as defualt if you need to do much with the pdf. There are few if any features to it, another joke. Moved on to something else. Something else that works, doesn't hand and does what I need it to do.

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