Adobe Acrobat error "Sorry, an Error Occurred"

[frank_6297]

We've got several users reporting the issue of this error appearing shortly after opening Acrobat (Creative Cloud):

Seems this is a regular problem with Acrobat based on many other messages in these forums, but no real solution seems to have been found. I do have a log file from a user and can get others, though the setups between the systems are pretty similar.

Acrobat has been updated on the affected systems and it will still produce the error after the update is put in place. Installation repairs have been performed, reinstalls, the Cleaner Utility has been run, and all other "Turn-it-off-and-turn-it-back-on-again" fixes have been attempted. The issue persists.

Please advise where the error report can be uploaded so that an Adobe engineer can look this over.

[frank_6297 · Accepted solution]

I think this may be resolved. Would not have thought the findings would be the reason.

In our environment, end users are not given local admin rights on their systems but we do have an EPM solution installed on each PC.

After much trial and error, we discovered AcroCEF.exe and RdrCEF.exe apparently need administrative privileges to run, otherwise Acrobat crashes as initially reported.

After adding an exception in our EPM environment for those two files, Acrobat is working fine for the previously affected users.

So now my question is, does Acrobat work properly only is users have local admin rights on the PC? If so, what are users supposed to do if their organization does not grant local admin rights for the user, which is a fairly widespread practice nowadays in many organizations for security purposes?

[Meenakshi Negi]

Hi frank_6297,

Thank you for reaching out, and sorry for the trouble caused.

As you have already tried the troubleshooting steps, please confirm if this issue started recently. Have you made any recent changes that may have impacted the workflow? 

Could you please collect the log using the diagnostic tool: https://adobe.ly/47xoSs8 and share the log ID with us? Please also share the Acrobat and OS version in use. 

We will get this checked.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

[frank_6297]

Log ID: 3f622b16-794d-4d6a-bb1b-2692884afa92

OS: Windows 11

Acrobat version: 25.001.20844

This has been going on for the past several weeks, probably even longer. No changes have been made in the environment.

[frank_6297]

Am I renaming the entire "Acrobat" folder at AppData\Local\Adobe\Acrobat? The only folders I have under that folder are labeled 9.0, AVWebview2, DC, and Distiller DC.

I'm unable to install the Adobe Log Collector Tool as it also returns an error during the install process: "Execution of the Windows Script Host failes. (Access is denied.)" Tried this on a couple machines and they all give the same error.

[frank_6297]

...and to add, when I get the initial error from Acrobat, I click on the "Send Report" option each time. Do those logs get reviewed? Seems like a lot of log collection tools over there...

[frank_6297]

The Adobe Log Collector Tool has now been installed and it has retrieved a .zxp file. Where do I go on that page specifically to submit a ticket for review?

[Meenakshi Negi]

Hi frank_6297,

Thank you for the information.

As the issue occurs when you launch Acrobat, could you please use the diagnostic tool to collect the logs? You can download the tool from the following help document: https://adobe.ly/3JyyObE. Look for the download button at the bottom of the document. You can skip the first two steps as the application does not launch. 

You can upload the .zxp file to a cloud storage and share a link to it here.

Let us know if you experience any issues.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

[frank_6297 · Accepted solution]

I think this may be resolved. Would not have thought the findings would be the reason.

In our environment, end users are not given local admin rights on their systems but we do have an EPM solution installed on each PC.

After much trial and error, we discovered AcroCEF.exe and RdrCEF.exe apparently need administrative privileges to run, otherwise Acrobat crashes as initially reported.

After adding an exception in our EPM environment for those two files, Acrobat is working fine for the previously affected users.

So now my question is, does Acrobat work properly only is users have local admin rights on the PC? If so, what are users supposed to do if their organization does not grant local admin rights for the user, which is a fairly widespread practice nowadays in many organizations for security purposes?

[Amal. · Accepted solution]

Hi there,

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out.

Adobe Acrobat does not require users to have local admin rights for day-to-day usage. Regular tasks like viewing PDFs, commenting, editing (with a licensed plan), exporting, and using Acrobat AI all work under standard user accounts.

Local admin rights are only needed during installation, updates, or certain enterprise-level configurations. Most organizations handle these through:

• IT-managed deployments using tools like Microsoft SCCM, Intune, or other software management platforms
• Adobe Admin Console for licensing and automated updates
• Enterprise packaging tools such as Adobe Customization Wizard for pre-configuring installers

Once Acrobat is installed and managed by IT, end users can work normally without admin privileges.

If you're seeing issues where Acrobat behaves incorrectly without admin rights, it may point to:

• File permission restrictions on required folders
• Security policies blocking certain Acrobat components or plug-ins
• Controlled Folder Access / endpoint protection interfering with Acrobat
• Missing enterprise configurations in the deployment package

If possible, you may want to ask your IT team to review the deployment steps and see if that works. If it still doesn't work, please ask them to create a ticket via the Admin console so that our dedicated team can further look into this and assist you better.

~Amal