Adobe Acrobat Pro DC - Redaction tool not working

[joan_ie]

I continually have a problem with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC when I try to use the redaction tool. 

• I select the text I want to redact 
• I click 'Apply' 
• The pop-up which should appear (confirming redaction, etc.) appears as a blank box, and the entire programme basically freezes. I can do nothing else, except open my computer's Task Manager and click 'End Task' for Adobe Acrobat. 
  (See attached image.) 

This is a huge problem, since my role as an employee and my unit's function requires the ability to fully and securely redact on a daily basis.  

I am using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC - Version 2021.005.20048 

Can anyone help? 

[J22987479s4gk]

I am having exactly the same problem...I click apply, blank white box appears and everything freezes.  The only escape is Task Manager and 'End Task'.  I have used the redaction tool on a regular basis with no problem, but now I experience the same issue that other posts describe.  I have tried the suggested fixes with no success.  Adobe, please get your act together and fix all of these BUGS!

[Mary Erin240139733ncf]

I too had the same problem and have tried almost all the fixes here.  Nothing worked.  Then, after I ended the task from Task Manager, I hit "More Details" in the Task Manager and saw that Acrobat and its related programs were still running.  I ended them all and then relaunched Acrobat again.  I was able to redact!

[Zarko5E84]

I have the same problem for months now.

Acrobat Pro - Version 2022.001.20169 | 64-bit
Running on Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19044.2364]

[softwarel98104662]

For my company it's wasnt specifically related to just inserting .doc it was a little bit of everything. The blank white screen after authenticating, followed by the error that some features in adobe are unaviable, to redacting, to merging, to fill in sign. After working with Adobe the fix seemed way to simple but it did the trick for us! 

Adobe Support had me go to 
C:\Program Files\Adobe
Right Click Adobe DC
Click Properties
Click Security Tab
Click Advance
Remove both SID permission profiles starting with the letter "S" in our case it was 
S-1-15-3-1024-3635283841-2530182609-996808640-1887759898-3848208603-3313616867-983405619-2501854204
S-1-15-2-1980882837-3654086619-1222525990-3753702683-3075969641-4188866857-51130414

According to Adobe, these SID's are meant to be be removed after the install/update is completed. However for what ever reason for versions after the September release the SID's are remaining in the profiles and when launching Adobe it's defaulting to the Adobe SID's instead of the Entitled User. Adobe is working with Microsoft on this issue.

[Saif28102192uigi]

One way I was able to solve this was to use the action wizard. I used the 'search and remove text'command, which lets you set phrases you want to remove followed by the 'apply redactions' command - this is where I was running into the bug previously, when trying to apply the redactions, however via this method I had no issues.

P.S. In my particular use case I had one repeated phrase I was trying to redact across multiple files. If your situation requires you to redact different phrases, it would require you to input them in the settings under the 'search and remove' command. 

[Ronna5C3F]

All this is just dandy, well and good, when one has time to play with workarounds.  I'm on a time-sensitive, 2-day deadline with 327 pages needing redacts and hundreds of other documents to collect, preview, edit, and, from and with them, write more than 40 court-required responses for, and haven't the time to figure out how to make a program do what the program -- I PAID for -- is supposed to do!  Please get me a fast, working answer ASAP! 

[Matthew29447798xgo7]

I've been stuck with this for weeks, the following solution has fixed the problem:

Navigate to Acrobat>Edit>Preferences>Security (Enhanced)>disable "Protected Mode at Startup", "Protected View" and "Enhanced Security">OK>close and reopen Acrobat.

Hope it's not too late for you.

[johnw88300904]

Thank you so much - this has driven me MAD - you are a superstar for this

[ChristopherJLewis1]

Fantastic - this worked for me - like many others I have wasted hours trying to get the redaction tool to work.  Thanks Matthew

[Zarko5E84]

This solution unfortunately does not work for me (and our whole organization).

[AkanchhaS]

Hi @Matthew29447798xgo7 

Thank you for sharing your findings with us. 

Acrobat and Reader official update 23.003.20215 is now available. This update will be automatically pushed to all existing installations of Acrobat and Reader. You may manually trigger the update early by opening the application and going to Help > Check for Updates>reboot Acrobat.

More information about this release is here: Release Notes | Adobe Acrobat, Reader

[Jael22094795smwv]

The update has not solved the problem for me. Changing the security preferences worked but seems risky. Would appreciate an alternative solution.

[Pepsi-Josh]

This worked for me as well, latest update does not help.

[AkanchhaS]

Hi @Pepsi-Josh 

Could you please confirm the Acrobat version you were experiencing this issue? We need the following details for further investigation:

1- OS version

2- Acrobat version

3- Is this a file-specific issue?

Thanks,

Akanchha

[Badger D'Ecosse]

We have the same issue on at least one PC (redact is not commonly used, so it may exist undiscovered elsewhere)
Messing with the security settings as suggested above has resolved (not before trying many other options including uninstalling and reinstalling)

1. Acrobat Version (latest)
(Continuous Release | Version 2023.003.20269 | 63-bit, Version File Version: 23.003.20269.0, AGM Version 7.001.00000 | 64-bit, CoolType Version 8.003.00001 | 64-bit, Core Version 23.768 | 64-bit, JP2K Version 4.000.00000.52671 | 64-bit)

2. OS - MS Win 11 Pro Version 10.0.22621 Build 22621

3. Definitely not file specific.

Frustratingly, on my own sytem (exactly the same Acrobat version AND OS version), using the same file, the redact tool works fine, without the need to disable security settings.

I am keen to re-enable those settings as soon as possible for my user.

[Mari.22]

Hello Adobe...Just wondering when the redaction tool is going to be fixed? Its now November 2023 and I am experiencing the same problems as others with this tool which is very frustrating especially when paying for this feature.

[defaultdkgkm9dmnj21]

Fabulous! This worked for me! Thank you

[wwhigginsjr]

Same problem here. Also happens when trying to add signatures to an Acrobat document using the "Request E-signatures" tool and "Sign yourself” tool (on the “Fill & Sign" tool palette). Both generate a black box when trying to add signatures, similar to what happens when I click on the “Apply” button with redactions.

OS: macOS Monterey v12.6.8

Acrobat: Continuous Release Version 2023.003.20269

The suggested fixes I've tried so far:

1. Uncheck "Enable Enhanced Security" (at Preferences->Security (Enhanced)).
2. Uncheck both "Show online storage when opening files" and "Show online storage when saving files" (at Preferences->General).

Neither of the above fixes the problem.

I did have some success using the JavaScript debugger to execute the following script:

this.applyRedactions();

That JavaScript applied the redactions successfully, but I really just need the "Apply" button to work per its designed fuctionality. I'm working with Adobe Customer Care now, and will post back if anything they advise yields a proper solution.

[wwhigginsjr]

Work-around solution (from Adobe Customer Support for me on macOS Monterey v12.6.8):

Navigate to the following folder and change the permissions for that folder (using the “Get Info” command; Command-i) to “Read & Write” (from “No Access”) for the “everyone” group.

/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/DC/WebResources

Note: the Library folder near the start of the path specification above is not the user’s Library folder, nor is it the System’s Library folder. It’s the Library folder at root.

Hope this helps. Adobe Customer Support has identified this as a bug experinced by many (?) or at least several users. They expect to fix it in an update to Acrobat next month.

[Alina31755532l9nx]

Good god, this has been driving me insane for the past month! Thank you so much!!

I can confirm this works on my M2 Macbook Pro on macOS Ventura 13.5.1.

[defaultxswu5b9yxgq2]

Thanks for posting this - on my MacBook Pro with Sonoma 14.0 the WebResources folder doesn't exist within /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/DC - Adobe, any ideas?

[sdijker]

Go into Preferences and then on the language tab select "Select at application start". Restart the application and select "English". Mine was set to "English with support for Arabic". Once I'd done this redaction worked. 

[matthewp36587689]

Issue has been confirmed by Adobe as a corrupt registry entry that relates to AcroCEF.exe

Resolution is to delete the key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\AcroCEF.exe

Delete all sub keys as well

Fixed!

[matthewp36587689]

Oh, this key will return on subsequent updates if it starts to happen again.

[Hiko352591582biw]

I'm encountering the identical issue. When I click apply, a blank white box pops up and the entire system freezes. The only way out is through Task Manager and End Task. I've been using the redaction tool without any issues before, but now I'm facing the same problem as others have described in their posts. I've attempted the suggested remedies, but none have worked. Adobe, it's crucial to address and resolve all these bugs promptly!