@kncowans sorry to hear you're experiencing these crashes. The issue you're describing, where AdobeCollabSync.exe causes Explorer.exe to crash, is a known problem that has been reported by other users. Even after disabling sync within the preferences, the issue may persist.
To fix your issue, you need to run the Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to remove all traces of Adobe Acrobat Reader, then perform a clean reinstall. Since you've already had a clean install of Windows 11, it's possible that some leftover files or registry entries from a previous Adobe installation, or a corrupted download, are causing the AdobeCollabSync.exe crashes. https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html
After running the cleaner tool, restart your computer. This is a crucial step that allows the system to finalize the removal process. And of course, just as important, download a fresh copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader from the official Adobe website and reinstall it (don't use the same installer, it may be corrupted)
that definitely sounds frustrating, especially if it's affecting other applications.
Since you've already tried disabling sync in Acrobat Reader, here are a few additional things you might want to try:
Rename or delete the AdobeCollabSync folder: Go to: C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\Services and either rename AdobeCollabSync.exe or move it elsewhere (be aware this could disable some cloud features in Acrobat).
Check for background Adobe services: Use Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and disable any Adobe-related auto-start services that aren’t essential.
Update GPU drivers: Some users have reported that crashes like this are related to outdated or incompatible graphics drivers in Windows 11.
Create a new user profile on Windows: Just to rule out any corruption in the current profile that might be interacting badly with Adobe services.
Contact Adobe Support directly: Since you're on the Photography Plan, you should be eligible for direct help from Adobe. They might provide a patch or specific workaround.
Hope this helps point you in the right direction!
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Run Acrobat Reader in Safe Mode / Clean Boot This helps figure out if another program or service is conflicting with Acrobat.
Repair the Acrobat Installation Go to Settings → Apps → Adobe Acrobat Reader → Modify/Repair (or use the Acrobat installer) to check for corrupted files.
Disable Collaborate Sync entirely Even though you turned off Sync in preferences, try also disabling any associated Windows services (look for anything with “AdobeCollabSync” in Task Scheduler or Services.msc) to ensure nothing is launching when it shouldn't.
Event Viewer check After a crash: open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application/System and look for entries with “AdobeCollabSync.exe” or “Explorer.exe”. The error codes/messages there can be really helpful in diagnosing the cause.
Update / reinstall dependencies Make sure your .NET, Visual C++ Redistributables, and graphics drivers are all up‑to‑date. Sometimes crashes are caused by missing or mismatched DLLs that Adobe depends on.
If you’re interested, I’ve also got some tech stuff and resources over at for 3D Printing — happy to compare notes if you want.
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