Acrobat Pro - Black popup window with loading circle freezes soon after launch (New Install)

[alpha_S]

I recently installed Adobe CC and the applications I needed (including Acrobat) to a new pc running Windows 11. Every time I open Acrobat I get this odd popup (see attached image) that freezes the application, requiring me to use Task Manager to force it close. I cannot use the application at all since the popup happens soon after launch.

I did manage to get to my Preferences in Acrobat and attempt a few solutions I found on other posts.

Turning off a couple security settings under Security (Advanced) and making sure certain popups were enabled under the General preferences tab.

I did uninstall and perform a wipe for all Acrobat files. I went one step further when Adobe CC wouldn't reinstall Acrobat again. I uninstalled CC and reinstalled, enabling it to install Acrobat again, but with the same issues.

Note:

• My previous pc (Windows 10) did not have this issue.
• There is tons of space on the drive. The whole system is less than a week old with all OS updated.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Amal.]

Hi there,

I'm really sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with Adobe Acrobat DC. It can be frustrating when technology doesn't cooperate. Let's work together to try and resolve this.

Firstly, could you clarify if this problem is specific to a particular PDF file, or is it happening with all the PDFs you're trying to open? It's a good idea to test with a different PDF file to see if the issue persists. If the file is on a shared network or drive, please download it to your computer locally and then try again. This can sometimes help with network-related problems.

Next, let's make sure you have the most up-to-date version of Acrobat DC. To check this, go to Help > About Acrobat. You should have version 23.06.20320 installed. If not, go to Help > Check for updates and ensure you're running the latest version. After updating, please restart your computer.

If the issue continues, consider repairing the installation. This option is available on Windows systems through the help menu.

If the problem still persists, you can try resetting Acrobat's preferences to default settings. Here's a link to a guide that explains how to do this: Reset Acrobat Preferences.

In more advanced troubleshooting, you may also create a new test user profile with full admin rights (on Windows) or enable the root account (on macOS). Testing with a different user profile can help identify if the issue is user-specific.

If none of these steps solve the problem, you might want to consider uninstalling Acrobat DC using the Acrobat cleaner tool. This tool can help ensure a clean uninstallation. Here's the link: Acrobat Cleaner Tool. Afterward, reboot your computer and reinstall Acrobat DC from the direct link: Adobe Acrobat DC Downloads.

I hope these steps help you resolve the issue you're facing. If you encounter any difficulties or have further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Regards

Amal

[alpha_S]

Hi Amal,

Thank you for the very thorough answer. I attempted all the above fixes and I still end up with the same result when I open a file.

Adobe Acrobat Pro will open fine on its own, but as soon as you open a file it's ok for 2 seconds then freezes. It looks like a black overlay has been put over the whole Acrobat screen and acts as if there should be a popup because everytime I click somewhere I get that dong noise, as if another window is in front. I have checked my Task Manager and is shows as only one window open under Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance. Sorry for my delay in responding.

[Amal.]

Hi there

Please try to turn off the protected mode for testing. go to Edit > Preferences > Enhanced Security > Uncheck 'Enable Protected mode at startup' > Click OK and reboot the application and check.

Note: Please turn on the security after testing to avoid any security risk

Regards

Amal

[alpha_S]

Hi Amal,

The Enable Protected mode at startup was already toggled off. I forgot that was one of the solutions I tried.

Note: I notice when I open the application itself, nothing happens. This error happens when I open a pdf, and the pdf prompts Adobe Acrobat Pro to open.

[alpha_S]

PS. 

To my reply above. I tried to reenable Protected Mode and I got this error. 

[Amal.]

Hi there

We are sorry to hear that. This issue is reported to our engineering team and being worked on.

The fix will be available in the future updates.

~Amal

[jamess13512019]

Is there any update on this? It's now almost December and the issue is still effecting users. I am having the exact same issue so it's obviously not just the OP hardware. 

[Amal.]

Hi there,

Our engineers are still working on this and the fix will be available in the future updates.

~Amal

[William28306203pwsh]

Hi!

Is there an update for this yet? I'm having this issue also. Tried all the troubleshooting above and it is still a problem. I am unable to use Acrobat and I really need it for my work.

[Amal.]

Hi there,

Our engineers are still working on this and the fix will be available in the future updates.

~Amal

[Amal.]

Hi there,

Our engineers are still working on this and the fix will be available in the future updates.

~Amal

[kowalskialex]

Hiya,

Same issue here; any news?

Alex

[Abambo]

As @Amal. answered yesterday that they are working on the problem, I think they don't yet have a solution.

[william32833684q6fr]

Nothing yet? We can't use the software with this issue since last year. Will we have our subscription money back?

[Andrew25375687ihs3]

Same issue here, this product is unusable as it is now. Please provide an update beyond "Our engineers are still working on this and the fix will be available in the future updates."

Thanks, 

[alpha_S]

A possible fix! (I havent had any issues since doing this yesterday - Jan 13th 2024)

1. Uninstall Adobe Acrobat using CC
2.  Delete any remaining folders where it was installed (for me it was installed on my D: drive)
3.  Delete any Acrobat files remaining on your C: drive.
        Some popular locations I found left over items after "uninstalling":
        -    Program Files/Program Files (x86) and search for Acrobat and delete ANY file associated with the name.
        This includes C:  > Local Users > [Your Account Name] > AppData > Local AND Local Low > Adobe > Acrobat (youll see a lot of folders under App Data > Local > Adobe > ARM, delete the Acrobat ones.)
       -     C: > Program FIles AND Program Files (86) > Common Files > Adobe > ARM and deleting the AdobeARM files.
       -     Search Acrobat in C: drive for any remaining files associated with Acrobat.
4.  After confirming you've deleted all those left over files from Acrobat. Reboot your PC and reinstall from Acrobat from Adobe CC.
   NOTE: For some reason, my downloads of Acrobat have always prompted the "this is taking longer than expected." notifcation at the bottom of the CC window. I am not sure why this is, BUT it seems that I have a stable, working Acrobat now.

Backstory for how I figured this out, for those who care.

I was getting a popup for a missing ACE.dll file (acrodist.exe) out of no where last week from Photoshop when I would launch it. After researching the popup I found out it was an Acrobat issue. In theory the fix is to download a ACE.dll file and put it in the Program File> Acobat folder, but I opted to do a clean install - which seems to be working now.

Good luck everyone! I hope this helps.

Tagging those who had the same issue in this thread:

@jamess13512019 @William28306203pwsh @kowalskialex @Andrew25375687ihs3 @william32833684q6fr 

[John36600775dx2k]

Any update on this issue?