Acrobat Freezing on Launch – Possibly Related to AI Assistant Implementation?

[oSomenzi]

Since the AI Assistant feature was introduced, I've been experiencing a consistent issue with Acrobat on Windows 11 Pro (fully updated, original licensed version). Every time I open the app, it freezes for a while, then unfreezes, freezes again, and eventually becomes usable. However, this pattern repeats every time I close and reopen the application.

My system is not the issue: SSD, dedicated GPU, plenty of RAM and storage. All my Adobe apps are up to date, and the problem seems isolated to Acrobat. I strongly suspect the issue began with the AI Assistant integration, as everything was smooth before.

In addition, I have a long-standing question: why do Acrobat updates not appear in the Creative Cloud desktop app like other Adobe apps (e.g., Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator)? I've always had to update Acrobat manually from within the app itself. Is there a technical reason for this separation?

I'd appreciate any insights, solutions, or explanations from the community or Adobe staff.

Thanks!

[Amal.]

Hi there

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out.

We are sorry for the experience you had with Acrobat. Would you mind sharing the version of the  Acrobat Pro you are using? Go to Help > About Acrobat and make sure its updated to the latest version 25.01.2043X Go to Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once.

You may also try to reset Acrobat preferences as described here https://adobe.ly/4jbdc0S

As mentioned, the issue started after the AI assistant feature was introduced. Please try to turn off the AI Assistant feature and reboot the device and check if that works. Go to Preferences (Ctrl,Cmd+K) > Generative AI > Uncheck 'Enable Generative AI features in Acrobat'

To automatically update the Acrobat Pro, go to Preferences (Ctrl,Cmd+K) > Updater > Select 'Automatically install updates' > Click OK and reboot the application.

Let us know how it goes.

[oSomenzi]

2025.001.20435 - 64bits

As shown in the attached image, the app is up to date.

Even when I open the program normally, it freezes.
I have to wait for it to unfreeze before I can use it.
It freezes… unfreezes… freezes again… until it finally stabilizes.

If I open a PDF file directly, the same thing happens.

I first disabled the AI toolbar — it didn’t help.
Then I disabled the AI assistant entirely — still didn’t work.
Restarted and tried again — no change.

I also tried other things, like clearing the “recent files” list, thinking maybe one of the thumbnails was causing the issue.
I cleared it, closed the app, reopened it — nothing.
Rebooted the system — still no improvement.

I also tried resetting the preferences — same behavior.
Followed the steps, renamed the folders — issue persists.

One more thing:
I don’t want automatic updates. What I don’t understand is why Acrobat doesn’t update through Creative Cloud like the other Adobe apps.
Why is it treated differently? Why is it separated?
I don’t get the logic behind that.

[Sagrika Khandelwal]

Hi @oSomenzi 

Thanks for reporting this issue. We would need following additional information to help debug the issue

1. Acrobat version you have on the machine

2. OS version

3. Any protection software installed on the machines

4. Logs from your machine. You can use Adobe Diagnostic tool to capture and share the logs

Steps to use Diagnostic tool

1. Close Acrobat
2. Download and run Diagnostics utility https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-diagnostics.html
3. Select Start Diagnostics.
4. Now Open Acrobat and reproduce the issue where Acrobat is having performance issues
5. Select Stop Monitoring, and share the log ID with us.

Regards

Sagrika

[oSomenzi]

LOG ID
00af8f15-8aa8-406f-90bb-2a7ba6726af0

I even tried to find the “Troubleshoot Acrobat” option, following the link you sent — but I couldn’t find it. See for yourself in the attached image.

However, I did find the "Generate System Report" option.
When I viewed the system report, I immediately noticed an error: it identifies my OS as Windows 10 — but I'm using Windows 11.

I generated the report, and honestly, the way it works is disappointing.
It asks the user to open an email client to send the report.
Wouldn’t it be much simpler to just generate a .TXT file and let the user manually attach it to an email — instead of trying to access the email app, open a message, and auto-attach the file?

Anyway… the report is attached.

I’m also attaching the Diagnostic Report ID generated by the tool.
If I did something wrong, I can generate it again — because at the end, a new window popped up asking me to enable something… I don’t even remember what it was.

Finally, I’m attaching a screenshot of my Windows system settings to confirm I’m running Windows 11.