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serviced11387465
New Participant
July 8, 2019
Question

Default PDF program constantly reverts to Adobe Reader instead of Pro DC

  • July 8, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 10470 views

Hi there.

At my workplace we are facing this problem in the last few weeks.

Users with a Pro DC license/installation will typically have Adobe Reader installed as well.

Users or admins can change the default program to Adobe Pro DC which works without any error - until they next log on, where it has reverted to Adobe Reader again.

Is this happening for anyone else? What can I change to make it keep this setting or find out why it isn't (other than uninstalling Reader on 50+ PCs)?

I have changed registry permissions to allow all applications and users to modify the default PDF program, but this doesn't seem to have any effect. I'm not sure what else may be reverting the setting.

Thanks

Glenn

    2 replies

    J
    Julio9807
    Known Participant
    July 21, 2025

    So, how was this solved?

    Amal.
    Community Manager
    Amal.Community Manager
    Community Manager
    July 22, 2025

    Hi there 

     

    Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out. We are sorry for the trouble you are experiencing.

     

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

    For more information, please check the help page https://adobe.ly/4nWbHal 

     

    Hope this information will help. Feel free to reach out If you are referring to anything else.

     

     

    J
    Julio9807
    Known Participant
    July 24, 2025

    So, I uninstalled the Reader and the Acrobat XI is working fine.

    What I noticed is some pdfs show the thumbnail, others not; why?

    Dov Isaacs
    Dov Isaacs
    Brainiac
    July 8, 2019

    A better question would be why you have both Reader and Acrobat Pro concurrently installed. Acrobat Pro is a superset of Reader. There is absolutely nothing in terms of functionality that Reader provides that Acrobat Pro does provide.

    Concurrently installing Reader and Acrobat Pro or multiple versions of either Reader or Acrobat is simply looking for problems.

              - Dov

    - Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
    D
    danmaddex
    New Participant
    April 7, 2020

    In many cases, adobe reader is pushed at the corporate level.  Individual licenses for adobe standard or adobe professional are provided with special permission.  When the install of adobe professional, it doesn't uninstall the reader.

     

    I have been looking for an answer to this exact question; why does Adobe Reader continue to revert to the default for *.pdf only?  In searching, the the listed fixes, such as settings > apps > default apps or right click open with only work the current logged on session.  When logging off and then back on, the default option for *.pdf files is the reader, the other adobe supported formats are adobe standard. 

     

    Is the problem with adobe reader, adobe standard, windows, the IT system of the company, or something else?

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