Adobe Crashing When combining files

[reginald_5027]

We have multiple users attempting to combine PDF files but there are multiple times where application crashes. When it crashes seems to be random depending on the file but we are no where near the file limit. This happens on both the desktop and web versions of the app. 

[AnandSri]

Hello!

I hope you are doing well.

Does the app crash when combining a specific set of PDF files, or does it happen with all PDFs? Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 25.001.2043x Optional update, Mar 19, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and check. For more information, see this: https://adobe.ly/42rUFb5

Verify that the individual files have the font embedded properly. Use the Preflight tool to fix font issues before combining the files. See this article for more details: PDF fonts, Adobe Acrobat

Try resetting the Acrobat Preferences once, reboot the machine once, and try combining files again. If the app crashes while combining all the PDFs, consider a clean reinstallation. Use the Acrobat Cleaner tool to remove the app, restart the machine, and install Acrobat. If it is specific to a set of PDFs, could you please share those files with us along with the current version of the OS and the Crash logs from the machine and share them with us for further investigation?

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[reginald_5027]

So to give a little more insight as to what was done. I did clean uninstalls of the program and clean reinstalls. I made sure to use the Acrobat Clearner tool as well. After the uninstalls I made sure to reboot, and after the reinstall, I did another reboot on the machines. We are using the most up to date version of Adobe Acrobat and I was able to verify that by attempting to run an update after the reinstall. I cannot share the files that we are attempting to combine because they are sensitive information but I can provide logs. This is what I have pulled from one machine so far. If I need to pull more I absolutely can. 

[reginald_5027]

I just wanted to know if there was any follow up with this. 

[Sagrika Khandelwal]

Hi @reginald_5027 ,

Thanks for sharing the logs, unfortunately these won't be enough for debugging the issue.

Can you please share current version of the OS and the Crash logs from the machine?

Thanks
Sagrika Khandelwal

[AnandSri]

Hello!

I hope you are doing well, and we apologize for the delayed response and the trouble.

Could you please provide the latest crash logs and the version of the operating system you have installed? This information will help us investigate further. Please share the logs or the log ID with us here in this thread.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[sherri_6714]

I have found it crashes less if your file names are small.  When you save the files if you use file names like "Page 1" and "Page 2" instead of combining two documents named something like "06122025 Test File Page 1" and "06122025 Test File Page 2".  This has been an issue for many years and I wish they would fix it.

[renee_6212]

My Adobe has been crashing for about a month when combining files. the file names arew short and there are only 12 pages all up to combine amongst 3 files. Has there been a fix?

[aslan_0557]

i renamed page to 1 - 2 - 3 and seemed to work

[creative explorer]

@renee_6212 Have you deleted or reset Acrobat preferences? This is one of the most common and effective troubleshooting steps for mysterious crashes and unpredictable behavior. Corrupted preference files can often lead to a wide range of issues, including crashes during specific operations like combining files. If reset doesn't work, then most defintely delete. Just make sure you restart your computer after the reset or deleting the preferences so that your computer can create new preferences for you

[sharona66440019]

You know, for as much as a subscription costs to Creative Cloud, I wish Adobe would fix bugs like this rather than irritiating us constantly with offers to use AI to read our documents. I spent hours uninstalling and reinstalling Acrobat only to find out the problem was that my file names were too long. What the heck is this? DOS 3.1 with 8x3 file names only? 

[AnandSri]

Hello @sharona66440019

I hope you are doing well, and we're sorry for the trouble you had.

While Adobe Acrobat itself doesn’t impose strict limits on file name length, it relies on the operating system’s file path limits. On Windows, the default maximum path length is 260 characters, which includes the full folder path + file name + extension. If your file name is long and nested deep in folders, Acrobat may fail to open or edit it—even though Windows Explorer allows it.

What you can do:

1. Shorten the File Name or move the file to a higher-level folder (e.g., C:\PDFs\ to reduce the total path length.
2. Enable Long Path Support (Windows 10/11 Pro):
   • Open gpedit.msc
   • Navigate to:
     Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem
   • Enable “Enable Win32 long paths”
   • Restart your system.
   • Make sure you’re running the latest version of Acrobat.

You can also raise a feature request directly with the product team using the Adobe Wish form.

I hope this helps,

Thanks,
Anand Sri | Acrobat Community Team
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