Collab Sync Locks pictures folder

[BrutalPoseidon]

When I added personal images to my pictures folder and mistyped the name, I saw that there was a lock on the folder from AdobeCollabSync.exe on this folder.

Why is adobe looking at my images, why is this process which appears to be syncing to some cloud?

I have not given Adobe any permissions, specially since I don't have an account logged in to Acrobat Reader. What is this? It appears to be an invasion of privacy, in my opinion.

Why does AdobeCollabSync look through pictures? What is it doing? Why was it installed in the first place!? To which account is it syncing to if I'm not logged into Reader?

[Tariq Ahmad]

Hi @BrutalPoseidon,

Thanks for taking the time to report this and share your concern. I completely understand how alarming it must feel to see a process like AdobeCollabSync.exe interacting with your Pictures folder, especially when you’re not signed into an Adobe account and haven’t knowingly enabled any sync features.

First, I want to reassure you that your privacy is important, and this behavior is not expected under normal use. Let’s work through this together and involve the appropriate teams to get more clarity.

• AdobeCollabSync.exe is part of the application's collaboration and sync infrastructure. It is typically related to shared reviews, cloud documents, or Send for Signature/Comment workflows.
• It should not be accessing personal folders unless triggered by a specific action involving those files (e.g., sharing/saving a PDF from your Pictures folder).

To help us investigate, could you please share the following details

1. Are you using Windows or macOS, and what version?
2. Which version of Acrobat Reader are you using? (Help > About Acrobat)
3. Was the PDF or image you were renaming originally created or saved via Acrobat?
4. Had you used any cloud-based features recently, like “Request E-signature” or shared commenting?
5. Do you have “Desktop App Integration” enabled, or see any Adobe-related context menu options when you right-click files in Windows Explorer?
6. Could you confirm if Acrobat Reader is signed out, or partially signed in (e.g., connected to the Creative Cloud Desktop App)?
7. Lastly, if possible, could you record a video showing us the problem you described above? This will help us discuss and understand the issue more clearly with the product engineering team. 

Thank you for your feedback, patience, and support. 

~Tariq

[BrutalPoseidon]

Hi Tariq,

Thanks for looking into this and sorry for the late reply.
I am on Windows 11 with Acrobar Reader version 2025.001.20474. Clicking away from reader to type the version on here kept making it disappear.
I was renaming a folder, not a PDF/image. None of the images were ever opened in Reader. I had just downloaded the images from a pen-drive into my pictures folder with the original name and proceeded to rename it afterwards. The photos were not opened on reader, they were not saved on reader.
I have not used any cloud-based features at all. I do not use Reader for anything more than looking at LaTeX documents I create or to highlight and comment on text for students and colleagues. I am using my personal computer for this, so it should not have any organizational collaboration settings turned on.
The context menu does not have any Adobe options other than "Open With" as my default for PDFs is Reader.
Acrobat is completely signed out as I have a "Sign In" option at the top right. I also do not have Creative Cloud installed at all on this computer.
I am currently unable to provide a video as I've stopped the process and deleted the CollabSync executable. Yet it comes back. I wish for it to be permanently gone or disabled.

I appreciate your help but I hope you understand my frustration.