Cannot install Acrobat Reader with Acrobat Pro

[JR Boulay]

Hello

To remove some bugs in Acrobat Pro I followed the Adobe procedure: uninstall Acrobat and then use the AcroCleaner.
It took me several hours but it didn't fix any of the concerned bugs.

When I reinstalled Acrobat Pro (64 bits) I got a message telling me that Acrobat Reader (32 bits) would be uninstalled, which was done.

The problem is that now I can't reinstall Acrobat Reader, each time the installation ends on this truncated and incomplete message (attached) which seems to say that Acrobat Reader is already installed.

It says : "Old/new version of Acrobat already in........"

What can I do?

I'm a developer of PDF forms and I absolutely need to have Acrobat Reader to test them.

Thank you for your help.

[Amal.]

Hi JR Boulay

Hope you are doing well and sorry to hear that.

The 64-bit application is a unified application for Acrobat DC and Acrobat Reader DC.  If you have installed Acrobat Reader DC 64-bit and you purchase an Acrobat DC subscription, the Acrobat Reader DC 64-bit application will upgrade to become a fully functional Acrobat DC 64-bit application.

To stop the Acrobat Reader DC 32-bit application from automatically upgrading to the 64-bit version, create the following registry key before the first launch of the application as described in the help page https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/about-acrobat-reader-dc-migration-to-64-bit.html

Hope this information will help

Regards

Amal

[try67]

Unfortunately, Adobe made it impossible to do that any longer, by unifying the two installers.

[JR Boulay]

Amal., I absolutely need to test my forms created with Acrobat Pro in Acrobat Reader.

So I need to use the latest version of Acrobat Reader, a DIY solution to use an old version is not satisfactory or reliable.
And I guess I'm not the only one.

Until I can install Acrobat Reader I had to install Foxit Reader, so I can only sell forms that are guaranteed to work fine in Foxit Reader, not in Acrobat Reader.

This situation is absurd.

[try67]

Hear hear! This change is a real blow to developers.

[JR Boulay]

PS: I cannot install Acrobat Reader 32 bits too, it displays the same message as above.

[jueblu]

did you try the offline installer of Acrobat Reader 32 bit? in my case this did just now still allow parallel installation of Reader and older Pro

[JR Boulay]

See this related topic:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/how-can-i-install-acrobat-pro-and-reader-on-same-...

[try67]

Did you try it? Does it work?

[JR Boulay]

No, I cannot install Acrobat Reader 32 bits too.

[Amal.]

Hi JR Boulay

We are sorry to hear that. Please share your feedback to the engineering team using the link https://acrobat.uservoice.com/

Regards

Amal

[JR Boulay]

Amal., this absurd situation offers me only one possibility to test and guarantee the correct functioning of the PDF forms I sell with Acrobat Reader: create them with Foxit Phantom or with PDF Studio Pro...

I can't believe that this is intentional, I also find it hard to believe that developers are so ignorant of how their software is used.

[JR Boulay]

"Please share your feedback to the engineering team using the link..."

Done: https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/44794654-install...

[Sonion]

I'm a home user on Windows 11 and have Adobe Acrobat PRO. My wife and I both share the same desktop computer and use Acrobat to digitally sign documents. In order for this to work, we have our own Adobe IDs and in the past I used to sign in to my PRO and she signed in on the Reader. But now since I can't install both, I've been forced to install the older Reader 11 to use for my wife to sign documents, but the signature can only be stored locally because Reader 11 doesn't support Adobe ID sign in. She can't digitally sign documents with my PRO version because, of course, her ID doesn't have the PRO license and it forces the application to close. I'm furious about this and considering switching to an alternate PDF program

[lauram225916]

I have the same problem. I agree, this all makes me want to drop adobe subscription altogether.

[AnandSri]

Hello @lauram225916

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

Could you please share more details about the issue? Is it the same as the one the previous user posted in 2022 in this old thread? If not, could you please share more details? 

Please note that Named-user Acrobat/Creative Cloud licenses are for one person per Adobe ID; sharing an Adobe ID with multiple people is against Adobe’s policy and can force the app to sign out or close. See more details here.

Workarounds: 

Switch Windows user accounts (recommended for a shared desktop)
Create a separate Windows user for your wife. Each Windows account can sign into Acrobat/Reader with its own Adobe ID without conflict. (This keeps settings, user profiles, and Adobe sign-ins separate.)

Sign out before switching users
If you must use one Windows account, always Sign Out of Acrobat (and Creative Cloud desktop) before the other person signs in. This prevents the app from closing or forcing a license conflict.

Use Acrobat Sign/browser signing (no Pro required for signer)
If you send the document from Acrobat Sign (or create a signature request), the recipient can sign in a web browser without needing an Acrobat Pro license. This is often the easiest route for occasional signers. 

I hope this helps, and we're here to help; we just need more info.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[Richard289265151ofe]

Im following this thread since 2022 to see if adobe would react to anything. And this reply fits the whole so well. 

This is not a bug, it is a feature. You know this, you dont need more info. I have a work laptop where I share two accounts, one private where I use my private Adobe pro version and one work where I don't have an account. All the installed programs can diferentiate properly between the logins, or just dont make any fuzz about it. Now I had to install acrobat to edit a pdf and of course my reader on the work account stopped working, i.e. it wants me to log into a pro account. Ive switched to PDFXchange. If after years of professionals telling you there is an issue and that you need to differentiate between the free and pro version, so it can be PROPERLY used by users and nothing happens and even worse, the first official reply in 3years is someone telling you this is intended and he "just needs more info" is another smack in the face. 

[mariahweyne]

When you need both Acrobat & Reader in the same computer

If you have installed the 32-bit Acrobat Reader application, you will be automatically upgraded to the 64-bit version of Acrobat Reader gradually. This upgrade is silent and currently applicable to a limited number of users. 

If you have installed Acrobat Reader 64-bit and purchased an Acrobat subscription, the Acrobat Reader 64-bit application will upgrade to a fully functional Acrobat 64-bit application. 

In this scenario, you need 32-bit Acrobat and 32-bit Acrobat Reader combination.

Download the Acrobat installer from here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-dc-downloads.html

Download the Acrobat Reader installer from here:

https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/

[jueblu]

what might work for parallel installation: full offline installer of Acrobat Reader 32 bit from here: https://get.adobe.com/de/reader/otherversions/ 

[Sonion]

That's what I ended up doing and it worked!

[brenXX]

For me Acrobat Pro would not instal because it said, a more capable function was already installed. I hadn't realised the free reader had become more functionally useful. However, I use Acrobat Pro to scan documents to pdf. The supposedly more capable app can't interface with my scanner. I will now uninstall reader and hope to install Acrobat Pro.

There are work rounds but nowhere as efficient.

[Richard289265151ofe]

Is Adobe serious with not fixing this issue after at least one year of people complaining?

[JR Boulay]

Please vote for this feature request: https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/44794654-install...

[dukeminster1]

I was able to get around this today by installing pro in the normal way and then using our deploy software (PDQ Deploy - there is a free version) to deploy to the machine. In our case we need both on a Remote Desktop Server, some users need to use Acrobat some just Reader.

[Brett5E39]

To those that have this same issue, if you can get your hands on the following versions:

Adobe Acrobat May 2022 with

Acro Reader 220012017_en_US 

works, and then you can upgrade to latest versions as a workaround for now.