Skip to main content
Participant
March 31, 2024
Question

Disable "Bookmarks" Side Panel whenever opening a PDF

  • March 31, 2024
  • 10 replies
  • 16345 views

I would like the "Bookmarks" panel to NOT open when I first open an Adobe PDF.  How do I accomplish this?

10 replies

matqwertygl
Participant
March 12, 2026

This is beyond a joke, I must open over 100 PDF documents a day, if not three times and every time I close the bookmark.  ADOBE, we pay for this software fix the f@£$$£ ISSUE!

sefgvdrgrg
Participant
March 9, 2026

ADOBE! REACT NOW !!!

 

This issue has been reported repeatedly and is wasting your user’s a lot of time. How can this easy fix take so long? 

I wont wait any longer and use/recommend alternatives to Adobe. This is ridiculous. 

ranv09
Participant
February 6, 2026

Super-annoying when trying to review multiple pdfs. Maybe Adobe can ask AI to write some code to fix this very annoying problem.

Userguynameplace
Participant
January 30, 2026

How does Adobe allow a bug like this to exist? In Foxit I was able to disable bookmarks with a few clicks of the mouse.

Participant
October 21, 2025

This issue has caused me to stop using Acrobat Reader on my macs

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 3, 2025

Your preference setting will affect documents that have their settings at default. 

 

If the PDF is set to open the bookmarks pane, it will open. As long as the document does not have password protection, you can close the panel, change the Document Properties, and save the PDF. You should you be able to set up an action for this if you deal with a lot of PDFs.

 

If you have control over the PDF settings in the original program, turn off the option to make bookmarks or at least, not to open the pane by default.

 

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
Participant
June 3, 2025
I can’t fill the forms out
Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 3, 2025
quote
I can’t fill the forms out
By @lilbitx_9544

Is this post even connected to the original problem of disabling the bookmarks pane?

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
Participating Frequently
February 14, 2025

As requested by Tariq, I am attaching a screenshot of the Bookmarks example and the About (to show you the Reader

Your operating system ==> Windows 10 Pro
Does this happen with all PDFs or only specific ones? ==> Most of them

version)

Participant
March 24, 2025

Hi,

Any update on this, I spend half of my day on this only to realize it cannot be done.

 

Regars,

Thanay

Community Manager
March 24, 2025

Hi, @thanay_1780 - currently, there are no updates. 
I have reported this issue to our product engineering team as a bug. However, Acrobat is, by design, built to open the Bookmarks panel if it is set to open the panel in file properties > Initial view settings. 

 

Also, I have considered @VladNJ and @Gregg36436373lk5u's comments that even if they close the Panel, it will still launch next time, considering "Restore last view settings when reopening documents" is in place. This preference will be overridden if the document "Initial view" is set to launch the Bookmarks panel. 

 

Could you shed some light on whether your documents have "Initial View" set to launch the Bookmarks panel? 

To know more about the Initial view, please visit this page: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/viewing-pdfs-viewing-preferences.html

 

Thank you for your patience and support

 

Participating Frequently
February 6, 2025

I appreciate your suggestions @BarlaeDC @Tariq Ahmad but this inquiry is to disable Bookmark window from appering for all documents and not just one specific document.

Community Manager
February 7, 2025

Thank you for sharing the feedback, @VladNJ

 

Please ensure your copy of Adobe Acrobat is updated, to check for any pending updates, launch Acrobat > Help > Check For Updates.

You may try resetting Acrobat Preferences, ensure Acrobat is closed: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/how-to-reset-acrobat-preference-settings-to-default/m-p/4792082 

If possible, please record your screen while trying to reproduce the issue upload the recording to any Cloud drive, and share the link with us.  

 

Also, Help us with the Acrobat version installed on your machine:   https://adobe.ly/4jLLoBu

 

Thank you for your continued feedback, patience and support.

 

~Tariq 

Participant
April 1, 2024

1. open one pdf document
2. View>show/hide>Tool pane
3. click "restart" application

Participating Frequently
January 19, 2025

This recommendation does not turn it off permanently, but only for that instance (might as well click on the x box)

Community Manager
February 3, 2025

Hi @VladNJ,

 

Thank you for reaching out with your question. 
Sadly, it can be turned off permanently. This panel is driven by app preference and document property. 

 

Here is the app preference you may want to check:

  1. Launch Acrobat 
  2. Go to Preferences> Documents. Keyboard shortcut (Cmd + K) Mac and (Ctrl+K) Wins.
  3. Select "Restore last view settings when reopening documents"
  4. Click "OK"
  5. Open a PDF file.
  6. Close the bookmarks panel.
  7. Save and close the PDF file.
  8. The next time you open the same document you should have the bookmarks panel closed

Let us know if you have further questions.


~Tariq

BarlaeDC
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 1, 2024

HI,

 

If you go to the properties of the document and select "Initial View" then you can set what should happen on the PDF opening.

 

 

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 16, 2025

This would work as long as you can save the document. If it is protected, it won't "stick".

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)