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

[serviced11387465]

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

[Dov Isaacs]

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

[danmaddex]

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?

[larsbjoland]

Exactly the same as danmaddex is writing is also my case and I assume many others. Adobe Acrobat Reader is the standard installation on all the computers in our company. A few of us are granted licence to the pro version in addition, but not as a replacement. This has been the situation here for years and we never had any issues with this when running Win 7. Why then is this more difficult with Win 10? Is there a way to solve this? Every time I log on to my computer now, the default for pdf-files returns to Acrobar reader...

[PCrudy]

Wrong.  Pro version merges PDF's but reader does not; Pro version  does not have 'fill in sign' and the reader does; it's irrelevant anyway. If you pay for a product you should be able to use it side by side with other programs including reader.  Why should you take money and then remove functionality and assume you know EXACTLY what a user what's to do with each product?

[Julio9807]

So, how was this solved?

[Amal.]

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.

[Julio9807]

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

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

[S. S]

Hi @,

Thanks for the response.

From the description, it feels like you need to rebuild the icons and thumbnails.

This can be achieved by refreshing the database file. 

Please review the help article to learn how to: https://adobe.ly/3UzRk57

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Souvik.

[Julio9807]

I "refreshed" the thumbnails but, as I uninstalled Reader, all pdfs appear as the default symbol, not the thumbnail.

What's next?

[Julio9807]

What I have is a full 32 bit Acrobat XI Pro, which worked fine in Win 11, but didn't show the thumbnails.

To solve that I installed the Reader, which is 64 bit.

Thumbnails now show, but some functionality of the Acrobat is affected.

Now anything pdf invokes the Reader's acrobat.exe and errors are happening.