Arcobat and multiple desktops in Windows 10

[Jens1968]

Acrobat does not seem to accept the environment created when you work with several (virtual) desktops in Windows 10. If you open a pdf file in one of the virtual desktops, switch to another desktop and open a second pdf file, it will open in the first desktop. Is there any way to fix this?

If not, does anyone know of a competing product that does not have this problem? 

I use Acrobat DC. 

Jens Lundgren

[ls_rbls]

Yes, you're correct that is not possible. 

Adobe Acrobat (or Reader) are not assembled to accept virtual environments in the context of running multiple instances of the same software in the same computer. 

You may set the Preferences, however,  to open your in separate tabs outside of the main Acrobat application window , and then manually dragg them to the virtual space of your choice. To work around this you need to keep that instance of Acrobat always opened for you to be able to move the opened PDFs to other virtual desktops.

And also, you will need to  get in the habit of selecting "Close File" instead of "Exit Application" when you're done with a document or else it will terminate Acrobat and all the tabs that are opened will close. 

Last, I am pretty sure that the last answer to your question could be answered by any community user, but it is kind of an oxymoron to consider, that even though there is third-party software that allows to do this,  to advertise in an Acrobat support forum software that would antagonize Adobe sanctions is kind of obtuse.

From what I am reading this is also not possible with all other applications, such as Skype, for example. So you may need to do your own research.   

But to answer your question with some hope,  you can create a another user accout (or more) in your Windows machine (assign username and password). Then, if you navigate to your Adobe Acrobat folder: 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat

press the SHIFT key in your keyboard and while you keep it pressed, right-click with your mouse on "Acrobat.exe"  file. Select from the context menu "Run as a different user".

You will be prompted to enter that user account name and password in adialogue box that will pop up.

Now you will be able to run separate instances of Acrobat in the same desktop and drag that instance to a virtual desktop.

Moreover, if you're creative you can also use a batch script to run as another user the same application : https://www.windows-commandline.com/windows-runas-command-prompt/

All you have to do save this batch script in the virtual desktops of your choice to have it open in the same virtual desktop each time.

Hope this helps and give you additional insights on the possibilities at hand.

[Željko5FBE]

Turning off opening in tabs resolves the issue. 

[Mick5D4B]

No, it doesn't. I don't think you are getting the question being asked.

[Željko5FBE · Accepted solution]

I think I do. I fyou turn off opening PDFs in TABS than opening PDF files in separate virtual desktops do not switch virtual desktop. And that is the question, right? "Arcobat and multiple desktops in Windows 10". 

"You may set the Preferences, however,  to open your in separate tabs outside of the main Acrobat application window , and then manually dragg them to the virtual space of your choice". The part - manually dragg them to the virtual space is not necessaray - I can record video to show you, in window 10 2004 version it works normally - for example, if you have two virtual desktops and open PDF file on first, you can switch to second virtual desktop and open (double click a file from disk) and it will open in the second virtual desktop (not switching). If the option for opening PDF-s in TABS is turned than it switched desktop because than only one window of Adobe Acrobat Reader exists. 

[defaulti5tptqa547oq]

This is the correct answer (and would have saved me hours if Id send this instead of following the supposed correct answer noted above). Removing tabs fixes the problem. You can have tabs and a single desktop, or no tabs and multiple desktops. You can't have tabs and multiple desktops at this stage.

[ls_rbls]

That is too easy, I can fix  the correct answer since the original poster hasn't care to update this thread.. 

Also, a few updates have changed a few things in Acrobat  since 5 months ago.

However, My answer to the original poster was based on the context of virtualization.

You can have tabs dragged onto  multiple virtual desktops but it won't stay as a permanent remembered state.

The fact that you need Acrobat to be running in the background in the main desktop window at all times or else all the other instances that were  opened in separate tabs will close from the virtual desktops when you close Acrobat.

This is a pain to keep doing this manually.

Are you saying that disabling "opening documents as new tabs in the same window"  will remember different instances of Adobe Acrobat opened on different virtual Desktops and remember its state each time you startup Windows 10? 

If you found a way to work around this then yes, by all means share it here step by step and I will unmark my "correct" answer and  give credit to the other solution.

Are you also saying that this doesn't cause Acrobat to make you sign in each time you open the program? As far I am concerned Acrobat doesn't allow this type of virtualization as it will behave as if the same subscription was used in more than one computer device.

Are you also saying that this doesn't happen?

[p3n · Accepted solution]

I appreciate this is an old thread but I have recently encountered this issue since getting a new PC. My old PC would open PDFs in the active desktop but the new PC opened PDFs in the desktop where the first Acrobat window resides. Both were configured with 'Open documents as new tabs in the same window ...' unchecked.

When comparing all preferences I found differences in Security (Enhanced) -> Sandbox Protections. When I uncheck 'Run in AppContainer' and uncheck 'Enable Protected Mode at startup (Preview)' the new PC now opens PDFs in the active desktop as desired. I believe this may explain why different users are experiencing different behaviour despite turning off the tabs in same window preference.

I hope this helps others with the same problem. 

[Willem Moolman]

Answer by p3n solved the problem. At first it may jump back and forward, but have one PDF open per window and then it will open in the correct window when you open from that point onwards. THANKS p3n!!!!

[ls_rbls]

Thank you very much for sharing this solution.

[Mick5D4B]

@p3n you genius! This worked. It's been a long time coming. Not sure why I am getting this notif via email 1 yr later... Thanks man, appreciate you.

[Geckoz100]

....and one more thing to add to this very irritating glitch -- After following @p3n's instructions (very helpful, thank you), it was still doing something strange where if I opened a PDF document in one desktop and then switched over to the other desktop and the opened the Reader application, it would swing back to the open document in the original desktop.  I found I can overcome this temporarily by opening two documents in one desktop (which worked after p3n's instructions), then clicking on the Task View button and dragging one of the open PDFs to the other desktop.  Then you can open separate instances of Reader on the different desktops.  But it seems that it reverts to the same problem after you close Acrobat Reader, then you have to do the dragging thing again.

[ls_rbls]

In my older post from April 2020 I mentioned this:

"you will need to get in the habit of selecting "Close File" instead of "Exit Application"

Manually detaching a PDF document from Acrobat's  main working space, and placing it on  a virtual desktop that is different from the virtual desktop where Adobe Acrobat Pro was opened in will work until Acrobat is exit.

Closing a tab (not exiting the Acrobat software) that belongs to an actual PDF document tab that was detached from Acrobat and manually placed on a different Windows virtual desktop should not close all other opened tabs.

The lack of the desired Adobe Acrobat virtualization on a desktop computer is not a glitch, it is more of a design behavior . It seems like it hasn't been supported at all even on recent years (or added as a feature). It is not supported (from what I can deduct).

I've been struggling with this too.

[Didrik291327441i6t]

I found a feature suggestion for improving this behaviour. If more people are frustrated over this, please upvote this idea:
https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/47303456-bug-pdf...