Adobe Acrobat (Pro) bullying Acrobat Reader DC

[Cosette33511944amv7]

So on my work laptop, I have to have both Adobe Acrobat (pro) and Adobe Acrobat Reader, both in 32-bit for my combination of programs and files to function. I'm the new hire, everyone else's systems work great, we're setting up mine... 

I need reader to be the default for generates certificates and protected PDFs that will not open in pro (no way around this) but Pro keeps steeping Readers lunch no matter what me and the IT behind the curtain try. 

Reader, Pro, and CC are installed. All possible ways of setting Reader as default thru windows have been done. But when I open a file (even with Open With > Reader) 

BAM 

Adobe Pro 😐 

any ideas guys 💀

[Abambo]

Your description is a bit erratic and difficult to understand, so first I resume: 

You have both, Acrobat Reader DC and Acrobat DC Pro, installed on your Windows computer. You want Reader to be the default program, but Acrobat DC Pro always takes precedence.

First: what are the exact versions of the Reader, Acrobat and the Windows OS?

Second: When any of the two is started, even in the background, that program will handle the request. So make sure that no Acrobat is started. 

Third: selecting a program as a default handler for a file extension is an OS functionality. Acrobat has no say in this. The OS starts whatever program it thinks that is the default. If you manually start one or the other, the OS chooses that one, instead of starting the program again.

[try67]

Good points. In addition, it should be noted that Adobe combined the installers of Acrobat and Reader, so what you're asking for is no longer possible at all if you use a current version of these applications.