Acrobat keeps jumping to the top window and I can't hide it.

Report · Jul 22, 2025

I'm running the latest version of Acrobat on Mac Sequoia. The problem arises when I OCR a document. I choose Scan & OCR > Recognize text > In this file.

While Acrobat is busily OCRing the document there are two issues.

First, when I am using other programs while Acrobat is OCRing, every so often Acrobat will suddenly become the top window even though I haven't touched it.

Second, once Acrobat starts OCRing the document I can't "hide" Acrobat. Right-clicking on the icon in the dock then selecting "hide" does nothing. I can't use click "Acrobat > Hide" in the tool bar at the top because this does nothing. All I get is the watch icon where the mouse pointed should be.

Any ideas to deal with this annoying problem?

Report · Jul 23, 2025

@athletic_magnetism5366 it may be a little buggy. I would until the 'bug' is fixed to don't use any other programs while OCRing! The core issue likely lies with how Acrobat's background processes interact with macOS's foreground application management during a CPU-intensive task. I know it should be able to multi-task in the background, but in your case, it isn't!

I do believe they released an update recently, go to Help > Check for Updates in Acrobat DC regularly. Even if you're on the "latest," a patch might have been released very recently that addresses this specific OCR behavior. Ensure your update channel is "Continuous" if you want the most frequent updates. If possible, break down very large documents into smaller files (e.g., 50-100 pages) before OCRing. This might reduce the duration of the "lock-up" periods.

For the MAC, if you truly want to multi-task, you could also try create a new Desktop Space (Ctrl + Up Arrow, then click the '+' in the top right). Move your Acrobat window to this new Space. When Acrobat jumps to the foreground, instead of trying to hide it, simply switch back to your main working Space (Ctrl + Right/Left Arrow). This won't hide Acrobat, but it will get it off your primary screen, allowing you to continue working on other things. Acrobat will still be processing in its own Space.

Report · Jul 24, 2025

Thank you for your advice and I've taken your suggestions. Let's hope the issue is permanently resolved soon.