Disable New Acrobat Problem

[Michael33346871bgoh]

My work computer updated to the new Adobe Acrobat Pro (2023.006.20320) and the app is now completely unusable. This update is genuinely terrible. Nothing was improved, and even after a month using this version, work that used to take me 5 minutes now takes half an hour.  

I've tried to find the option to "disable new acrobat" but it does not appear under the "View" drop down menu. Why is the option not appearing for me and how can I revert back to the previous acrobat version?

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Hi @Michael33346871bgoh,

You're not alone! Thousands of complaints in the forums about what Adobe calls its "modern interface."

You can disable it and revert to the tradition "classic" interface (at least for now):

• Windows, go to the Hamburger Menu in the upper left corner and select Disable New Acrobat.
• Mac, go to the View Menu and select Disable New Acrobat.

Please voice you comment directly to Adobe's engineering and marketing teams by voting and commenting at https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/47082691-ditch-t...   It's important to let them know how the "modern" interface doesn't meet your needs.

[Michael33346871bgoh]

Hi Bevi. Thank you for your response. As mentioned in the original comment, the "Disable New Acrobat" option does not appear for me. I am using a windows device, however there is not a hamburger menu in the top corner of the screen. The only menu options at the top left of the screen are File, edit, view, e sign, window, and help. Below that there is a "home" tab, a "tools" tab, and then tabs for each individual pdf that is open. There are no other clickable icons in the top left corner.

Please refrain from posting pre-typed responses to this question. I have already read through the forum for a fix to my problem (including the multiple times that exact response has been posted) and I have not found one.

[PositiveEnergy]

Switch From New Adobe Reader to Old Layout
https://youtu.be/NZDs3hVl8TU

[Michael33346871bgoh]

Hi, thank you for your response. As I have mentioned in the first two responses, there is not a hamburger icon in the top left corner of my screen. I included a screenshot of the icons that are present for reference.

Can someone please help me find the "Disable New Acrobat" option WITHOUT suggesting that I click the hamburger icon at the top of the screen?

[sandra_6858]

Imagine how frustrating it is for me - I have the "Disable New Acrobat" feature and it won't engage. I've restarted the app, restarted my computer ... nothing works. 

[helen_3604]

Same here - I have done it numerous times, and nothing. It's awful. I am so annoyed I renewed my annual plan last month - I'd have gone and found another PDF writer/editor if i'd realised these new "features" weren't oprional. It takes forever to do anything in Acrobat now, and it keeps crashing!

[S. S]

Hi @helen_3604,

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for your experience with Acrobat!

Would you mind letting us know when does the app crash on your computer? Is it when trying to use any specific tools or when you try to open any PDF file? 

Meanwhile, you might want to try unchecking the checkbox "Smooth Images" & "use page cache" under preferences-> Page Display.

If this doesn't work, please share a screen recording of the issue along with the app version number for better understanding.

Also, when you say "I have done it numerous times, and nothing" does the app not show you a pop-up message saying you need to restart Acrobat? If that's the case, please add this event to your screen recording as well for further investigation.

-Souvik

[helen_3604]

Hi Souvik,

The app does not maintain my preferences; I have unchecked "enable Generative AI" on the app as well as through Adobe.com numerous times over the last 2 weeks and it still comes back as being checked after I have opened a coiuple of PDF, or if I close the app and reopen later. With regards to disabling the new Acrobat  - I get the popup saying it needs to retsart to take effect; I click OK, it closes Acrobat but then doesn't restart it. When I manually open it, it's still the new AI version. 
Honestly, these changes have made the app absolutley infuriating, and I really wish I hadn't signed up for another 12 months as I'd much rather find somewthing else which is a) less expensive and b) not completely buggy now. I have found the app is also crashing way more than previously, there is seemingly no particular reason or event that causes it.

[S. S]

@helen_3604 Sorry for the experience! 

First, ensure that you are using the latest version of the application. You can check for any available updates through Menu-> Help-> Check for updates.

Then, let's try a three-step solution to this:

1. As you have the recent application version, please try to repair the installation from the help menu (Win Only), reboot the computer once, and check.

2. You may also try to reset the Acrobat preferences as described here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/how-to-reset-acrobat-preference-settings-to-defau...

3. Please run the Acrobat cleaner tool https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/Labs/cleaner.html, reboot the computer once, and install the application using the direct link https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-dc-downloads.html.

If either of the steps works, you can skip the rest.

Hope it works.

-Souvik

[helen_3604]

Everyone who is experiencing these issues - go on to Adobe chat support, ask them to check your user profile on your machine. I have just spent 2 hours with one of the team, because having uninstalled Acrobat to try and solve this issue, I couldn’t get the reinstalled version to open at all. He spent an hour trying to install and open, couldn;t work out why, escalated it and he eventually found the issue is with my user profile, he cleared out any old adobe files in the registry etc and then started again. It's now working, and when clicking "disable new acrobat" it restarted immediately and looks like acrobat used to with no AI pop ups. So there must be similar issues for other people who were in the infuriating loop I have been for weeks.

[sandra_6858]

Thank you!! I will try this when I have some time. I also uninstalled and
reinstalled an old version that has been working fine, but I'm sure there
will be glitches and possibly security issues in the future.

Be safe and be well,

Sandra Bulk
[PII removed by mod]

[Terri M]

Deleting my existing Adobe Acrobat "Preferences" folder fixed the problem for me such that clicking on the 3 lines/Hamburger icon in the upper left corner and selecting "Disable new Acrobat" now actually diables it and returns me to the old Acrobat.  Previously, I could click on "Disable new Acrobat" and restart Acrobat until I was blue in the face and it would not disable it. 

Follow the instructions here to get rid of your old "Preferences" folder:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/how-to-reset-acrobat-preference-settings-to-defau...

It says:

Manual Reset:

Preferences can be reset manually, restoring Acrobat to its default settings and creating a fresh product version. Here’s how to reset preferences on a Windows OS:

• Close the Acrobat DC application and terminate all Adobe processes from the task manager.
• In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Preferences folder: C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Preferences.
• Move the Preferences folder to another location or rename it as Preferences_old (to serve as a backup).
• Relaunch Acrobat DC and it will generate a new Preferences folder in the original location.

Note: The AppData folder is hidden and may require adjustments in File Explorer settings to gain access. Please refer to a Microsoft Article: “Show Hidden Files”, for assistance.

[Michael33346871bgoh]

Can someone please help with this, I do not have an option to revert back to the old acrobat version and I cannot do the work I need to with this update. This is seriously starting to become an issue for me, I have work I need to get done.

[ELAINE3485208522jt]

I too work on many pdfs during the day.  Although I have the hamburger menu, when I select "disable new acrobat" and restart the app as instructed, it's still the new interface.  As a work around I don't exit the app, only the individual pdfs so I'm not waiting for the "what's new" box every time I open a new one.  Certainly not the ideal solution but the only way I've found to reduce the disruption.  

[xinding_0390]

same problem as me.