Default printer in Windows 7 changes to Adobe PDF after reboot

[shadj70993514]

We are starting to have users call in because every time they reboot their default printer is changed to the Adobe PDF printer. Anyone out there ever see this and have some advice?

[Dov Isaacs]

You didn't indicate what version of Windows you are running on, but we are aware of an issue within Windows 10 itself that can cause default printer settings to change. Acrobat does not ever reset the default printer to Adobe PDF.

Go to Settings=>Devices=>Printers & scanners and scroll down to an option labelled Let Windows manage my default printer. (See below!) Uncheck that option and exit the settings. That may resolve the problem you describe (and possibly other Windows printing anomalies).

             - Dov

[shadj70993514]

Dov,

Thanks for the heads up! I've changed the post to indicate we are running Windows 7.

[Dov Isaacs]

OK. If not Windows 10, it must be something else.

As I indicated, there is nothing in Acrobat that attempts to reassign Adobe PDF as the default printer.

What other printer drivers do you have installed? I have seen situations in which as part of Windows system boot-up, some print drivers or maybe better put the bloatware that surrounds such print drivers attempts to reconfigure themselves based on whether the printer is on-line and/or other factors. As part of such reconfiguration, one possible scenario is that the printer driver is temporarily removed, reconfigured, and then added back to the system (you don't visibly see this but it maybe happening during the boot process). If such a printer is defined as the default printer and is removed, even temporarily, the “next printer” inherits the default printer status but such status is not regained when that driver is restored. This might be what you are seeing. And unfortunately, I don't know how to get around such silliness. Sorry!  😞

                - Dov