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Question

Acrobat Licensing Application window is blank

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
August 25, 2020
6 replies
15310 views

I have a problem with activation and signin into Acrobat: the Acrobat Licensing Application window is blank.

I am on a new Mac with macOS 10.15.6 using Acrobat 2020 Pro Student&Teacher. I have just migrated all data and applications including Acrobat from an old Mac. It worked fine on the old Mac. Now with the new Mac, I have problems.

Initially, I tried it with my normal user account (with admin rights). I guess because it's on new hardware Acrobat wants to activate the license again, but I didn't get beyond the empty Acrobat Licensing Application window.

I have tried various things like starting Acrobat with sudo or setting permissions on the folder ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/OOBE to 0777. Nothing helped. I have uninstalled twice and installed again. Once even moving the complete Adobe folder in Application Support away. No change.

Eventuelly, I logged in another admin account (not root) which never used Acrobat before and there at least I was able to do the activation. Now, at least, I can use Acrobat even with my normal account.

However, I am still not able to sign in. When I click "Sign In" in Acrobat it opens the Acrobat Licensing Application Sign In page, where I click the "Sign In" button. But then I end up again with the empty window. All I can do is quit the application which gives me a warning, if I am sure. So something is still broken...

D

Daniel28835345j1ap

Participant

Activate the "Guest User Account" allowing app usage in the mac user System Settings.

Log into the Guest Account, click on the Adobe Acrobat app and complete the Adobe Acrobat Activation.

Log into you user account and it works you now deactivate "guest user" if you wish.

Dotoki2

Inspiring

macOS 11.2 and Acrobat Pro 2017

I tried 2 commands in terminal

to set correct permissions for OOBE folder
chmod 777 /Users/<my_username>/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/OOBE/

and to launch the sign in process with admin permissions
sudo /Applications/Adobe\ Acrobat\ 2017/Adobe\ Acrobat.app/Contents/MacOS/AdobeAcrobat
but the issue was not solved.

Then I created a new admin account, started Acrobat and the content in the window 'Acrobat Licensing Application' was displayed. I entered my Adobe ID and then serial number and Acrobat was successful activated.
Then I switched again to original account and Acrobat started without asking for Adobe ID or serial number.

G

gvde2Author

Participating Frequently

Well, that's what I wrote in the beginning. That's how I did it.

You will still not be able to use the cloud functions of Acrobat with your original account, though...

N

nerova

Participant

1. Go to https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

2. Download Creative Cloud Cleaner tool.

3. Install Creative Cloud Cleaner tool.

4. Run this app, select Adobe id credentials and then click Cleanup Selected.

5. Run installed Adobe acrobat Pro 2020.

Login option will appear in Acrobat Licensing Application window.

S

SFK99

Participant

Great, nerova's hint worked for me as the only solution. Migrating from an Intel to M2 Mac, both running Ventura, having the same blank screen problem as described above.

maurices14016716

Participating Frequently

I have the exact problem. Had it with Catalina and now with Big Sur 11.01/ Identical issue.

Uninstalled and reinstalled more than 3 times. The only workaround to activate the Adobe product was to log out, create another user, log in. Reinstall the app (Acrobat 2020) for all users, sign in using the Acrobat Licensing Application, activate whe logged in as the new user created, log out and then go back to the regular user. Otherwise screen remains blans as original poster stated. Suspect it is a browser setting , but cannot figure out which one.

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robertc48401230

Participant

my work around was to login in as a root user (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204012). You can then install 2020 or any Acrobat app. Then open under root user the licensing app will come up you can verify. Log back out as root user and follow direction to remove root user. You can now log back into your regular account and Acrobat runs. The good thing is that Acrobat does run on BigSur... so far no problems. Good Luck and thanks for the reply

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gvde2Author

Participating Frequently

I think in that case "root" is just as good as any other new user profile. Just like maurices14016716 it worked for me: I have created another, new user account with admin rights and installation and activation was fine. After that I could use my regular account. Thus, you don't need "root", which has even more rights than admin accounts.

Meenakshi Negi

Community Manager

Hi there,

Sorry for the trouble caused.

Are you still experiencing issues with Acrobat activation?

If yes, please try removing the Acrobat using the cleaner tool (https://labs.adobe.com/downloads/acrobatcleaner.html) and reboot the Mac.

Then reinstall the application from this link: https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/acrobat-downloads.html and try to sign in. Check if that helps.

Let us know if you need any help or if the issue is already resolved.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

G

gvde2Author

Participating Frequently

I already did that twice. It doesn't help. With my normal account (which has admin rights) I cannot activate Acrobat. I can only activate Acrobat with another admin user account which I have created out of dispair. If I activate Acrobat with that other account I can use Acrobat with my normal account, however, I still can not sign in.

Meenakshi Negi

Community Manager

Hey!

Sorry for the delay in response.

Could you please share the screenshot of the window appears when you try to launch the Acrobat?

Would you mind trying the steps as suggested in the following community thread: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat/error-sorry-something-went-wrong-please-try-launching-acrobat-first-or-contact-your-administrator/m-p/11325290?page=1#M268488?

Let us know if that helps.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

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gvde2Author

Participating Frequently

Has anyone an idea? It can't be so hard to use the software I have paid for.

I tried to find other support options but that's a laugh: the support website of adobe just circle me around:

First I am on the contact customer care page: https://helpx.adobe.com/de/contact.html

Then I want to check my contact options and get here: https://helpx.adobe.com/de/contact/what-contact-options.html

For Acrobat there is a link to follow for telephone and chat support which takes me back here: https://helpx.adobe.com/de/contact.html

Even with a google search for support chat on site:adobe.com I get nothing useful. That "chat", does that even exists?? Phone numbers are nowhere either.

So basically, Adobe does not want to support me and getting their product properly running. At least, that's what it looks like to me at the moment...