Acrobat PDFMaker was not able to mail merge the document

[default1fcmpmh800dy]

As the title suggests, I am running into this error and cannot get this feature to work no matter what I try.

My operating systems and applications are fully up-to-date at the time of this posting. The versions of my operating system and related applications are as follows:

• Windows 11 Enterprise, 64-bity, 22H2, OS Build 22621.1413
• Adobe Acrobat Pro, Continuous Release | Version 2023.001.20064 | 64-bit
• Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2302 Build 16.0.16130.20298) 64-bit
• Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2302 Build 16.0.16130.20298) 64-bit
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2019 Redistributable (x64) - 14.29.30139

To eliminate the possibility of a specific Word document or Excel datasource being the issue, I created a very basic and straight-forward test mail merge and datasource and am still running into the issue.

Installing Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2019 Redistributable (x64), as recommended in a few other Adobe Support articles I found did not correct the issue.

I've also enabled logging and haven't found any useful information, as it appears to suggest its completing successfully even through it is not. Below are the outputs of the logs:

PDFMWord.log:

Mon Mar 20 11:30:18 2023 [INFO]: VBA::InitializePDFMakerDLL:Initialization of PDFMaker DLL started...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:18 2023 [INFO]: VBA::InitializePDFMakerDLL:Initialization of PDFMaker DLL Successfully Completed.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:18 2023 [INFO]: VBA::ShutdownPDFMakerDLL:Release pointers of PDFMaker DLL's.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::PDFMakerConvertUsingSettings:PDFMWord to PDF conversion workflow started...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::InitEverything:Initialization Started...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::InitializePDFMakerDLL:Initialization of PDFMaker DLL started...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::InitializePDFMakerDLL:Initialization of PDFMaker DLL Successfully Completed.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::SetAppLanguage:Set PDFMaker Language Started.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::SetAppLanguage:Set PDFMaker Language Completed.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::InitEverything:Initialization Successfully Completed.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::PDFMakerConvertUsingSettings:Log events corresponding to review/Share button click Info.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::ConvertToPDFEx:Started Convert to PDF workflow...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::PrintingEntryWithNoOptionsDlg:Initialization of PDFMWord was successful, now ready to start CreatePDFFile workflow.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::CreatePDFFile:Creation Of PDF Started...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::CreatePDFFile:Current Active Doc Font is Office Font.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::GetFinalPDFFileName:Get PDF File Name.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::Preprocess:Preprocessing for EMF started...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::Preprocess:Preprocessing for EMF Successfully Completed.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::GetFinalPDFFileName:Get PDF File Name.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::CreatePDFFile:Successfully Got EMF.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::ShutdownPDFMakerDLL:Release pointers of PDFMaker DLL's.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::ShutdownPDFMakerDLL:Release pointers of PDFMaker DLL's.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: VBA::ConvertToPDFEx:Convert to PDF workflow Completed.

PDFMEngine.log:

Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: PDFMEngineImpI::PDFMEngineConvertDoc:Doc To Pdf conversion has started.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: PDFMDocExporter::convert:Doc To Pdf conversion has started.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: WordExporter::doExport:Word Exporter Workflow has started...
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: WordExporter::doExport:Word Exporter Workflow has Ended Successfully.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: PDFMDocExporter::convert:Doc To Pdf conversion has ended with return value 4 .
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: PDFMEngineImpI::PDFMEngineConvertDoc:Doc To Pdf conversion has successfully completed.
Mon Mar 20 11:30:36 2023 [INFO]: PDFMEngineImpI::PDFMEngineConvertDoc:PDFMEngine Workflow has Completed with return value 4 .

Furthermore, the issue seems to only be present with the Merge to Adobe PDF/Mail Merge function within Microsoft Word. All other functions of Adobe PDF Maker within Microsoft Word are working as intended.

[Trent307815596xtp]

unfortunately has not worked for  me 😞

[Tyler37575095rcov]

The community needs an answer to this error. This has been an issue for over a year and still no viable workaround. I have tried all the suggestions in the thread and none of them have worked. Up until this week I have been using mail merge for 2 years with no issues. Now all of the sudden it wont complete. Amal and Adobe, please provide the community with a fix for this error. Otherwise I plan on canceling my subcription. 

[Aaron38033552dfn7]

I'm sharing your frustrastions since this has been a known issue for so long.  We use the latest Word 365 version and the "Merge to Adobe PDF" function will not even complete the print step anymore (see screenshots).  My group relies on converting and emailing merges to streamline our workload.  If we can't perform this task it will add hours to what would otherwise take minutes.   We would likely need to add additional staff hours to makeup the time.  Like most organizations we will just have to find a different solution with a different vendor if Adobe cannot fix this.  It's too bad since this is exactly the type of tool we rely on.

First Error.

Second Error:

[Amal.]

Hi there

Its still work under progress, as our engineering team is working actively on it.

We will update you as soon as we get any information.

Thanks for your understanding

~Amal

[PDFQUeen]

Hi Amal,

Has this issue been resolved? And if not please could we have an update? As of today (17 January 2025), I have encountered the same error as the OP. I have used a very simple word document and excel data to test this feature. I have changed all of the font to Arial and Calibri and I have used the sign out method which has been suggested by others - all to no avail. 

[Ynot Photograph]

Hi,

We are still having issues with this, is there any update or timeline on when this will be resolved? 

Kind regards,

Tony

[EPDB86]

So the "answer" is to sign out of Office 360 to make it work? It started working fine until my work upgraded to Windows 11 and that version of Outlook wasn't sending them, I had to click back into my older Outlook and I saw all the files in the outbox pending to be sent, once I logged back in it sync'd and all the mailmerge PDFs sent....2 weeks AFTER i created them....

[Gravypan]

Also having issues. It's ridiculous that htis was reported 18 months ago and Adobe doesn't have a solution. This is bringing the production for one of my customers to an absolute standstill.

[Trent307815596xtp]

Having this same issue with users here. 

Was working fine, then suddenly stopped working. 2 freshly reimaged devices and it would not work.

I tried with the file son my own device and it worked fine( is it a matter of time until it breaks?), log into the loaned device after receiving it back with my credentials and it won't work.

[eugeneo58954766]

Hi all,

I faced this problem too and found a solution for my setup:

Microsoft® Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2409 Build 16.0.18025.20030) 32-bit
by changing the 'Theme Fonts'.

Go to the tab Design>Fonts>Office - Arial (Arial, Arial).

You should now see the Theme Fonts set as Arial (Headings) and Arial (Body) in the 'Home' tab.

I suspect it is because Adobe does not support the Aptos font.

Hope that helps.

[EPDB86]

Thanks Eugene! I will check it out and report back!

[FT...]

You are the best! This solved my issue. Thanks

[mh_7780]

This worked for me too - thank you for saving me from having to send hundreds of individual emails!