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1

Duplicate text boxes on different pages

New Here ,
Dec 13, 2021 Dec 13, 2021

defaulttgpzq4ebjjkx_0-1639443621761.png

 

On pages 30, 31 of this pdf, any text box i add is showing up on the other page and vice versa, what is the fix?

 

TOPICS
Edit and convert PDFs , General troubleshooting
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1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Adobe Employee ,
Jun 19, 2025 Jun 19, 2025

Hello @Maritza31844488migi

 

I hope you are doing well, and we apologize for the delayed response and the trouble.

 

Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 25.001.20531 (Win) | 25.001.20529 (Mac), planned update June 10, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again.

 

Are you on a Mac or a Windows machine, and what is the version? 

This issue is often caused by:

  • Linked or duplicated text fields that share the same internal name or object ID.
  • Acrobat mistakenly treats static text boxes as form fields, especially when the file was created or edited using tools like InDesign, Word, or browser-based PDF editors.
  • Corrupted structure or metadata in the PDF that causes edits to propagate unintentionally.

 

Check for Shared Field Names.
Even if it’s not a form, Acrobat may treat text boxes as fields if they share the same name:

Go to All Tools > Prepare Form
Double-click the text box
Check the field name; if it’s the same across pages, change it to something unique.

 

Flatten the PDF.
Flattening removes interactive elements and makes the text static:

Open the PDF
Go to Menu > Print > Save as PDF (this flattens the file)
Reopen and try editing again.

 

Use “Edit PDF” Instead of “Prepare Form.”
If you’re not working with forms, avoid using the “Prepare Form” tool. Instead:

Use All Tools > Edit PDF
This ensures Acrobat treats the content as static text, not interactive fields.

 

If the issue continues, please provide the following information: the current version of the operating system on your device, a sample PDF file, a screen recording with the steps/workflow of the issue, and the logs from the affected machine. To collect the logs, download and run the Log Collector tool. Make sure to select all log options and attempt to reproduce the issue. After that, close the Log Collector tool; it will generate the logs along with a log ID. Please share this log ID with us for further investigation.

 

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

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Adobe Employee ,
Dec 14, 2021 Dec 14, 2021

Hi there

 

Hope you are doing well and sorry to hear that. As described the text box gets dupliacted .

 

Please make sure that the name of the text boxes on the pages are different (Not same). Open the PDF form > go to Tool > prepare form > Double click on the text box to open the text box properties and change the name of the text box/s.

 

Regards

Amal

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 05, 2023 Dec 05, 2023

This happens to me a lot. I add some text to one page, while in Edit mode, and it places a duplicate text box on some other page, so, every time I add in some text, I have to go through the whole document to ensure that it has not repliacted elsewhere...very time consuming and annoying.

 

Here's an example of an original text that I wrote where it's supposed to be: 

Jeffrey231058389a4v_0-1701792176692.png

And, here, Adobe Acrobat Pro just decided to stick it into someone's Taxpayer Identification Number box on another page (I've cropped out PII to protect the form-owner).

 

Jeffrey231058389a4v_1-1701792320496.png

Sometimes, if I haven't done any further editing or saving, I can click on the text box and delete it. Other times, like in this particular case I'm unable to delete the duplicate. So, I am going to have to recreate the original document.

 

This is a frequent problem and I'd really like a solution to keep it from happening.

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Adobe Employee ,
Dec 07, 2023 Dec 07, 2023

Hi there

 

Is this an issue with a particular PDF file or with all the PDFs? Please try with a different PDF file and check. If the file is stored on a shared network/drive please download it to your computer locally and then try again.

What is the version of the Acrobat DC you are using? To check the version go to Help > About Acrobat and make sure you have the recent version 23.06.20380 installed. Go to Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once.

 

Also, make sure that the name of the text boxes on the pages are different (Not same). Open the PDF form > go to Tool > prepare form > Double click on the text box to open the text box properties and change the name of the text box/s.

 

~Amal

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 07, 2023 Dec 07, 2023

Jeffrey231058389a4v_0-1701978549845.png

I work with 100s of pdfs each month, and it happens to half a dozen on good months and several dozen on bad months. 

 

I do reboot when it occurs, but, some days, it happens on every document I work in. That would be a lot of reboots. Also, Our IT folks have reinstalled the software at least four times this year, and I even moved it to a new laptop, and it's still creating this error.

Isn't there a way that I can prevent it from creating these duplicate boxes in the first place? I shouldn't have to search through a document renaming text boxes that weren't supposed to be there. Renaming boxes that I don't create isn't really an acceptable solution.

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Explorer ,
Dec 07, 2023 Dec 07, 2023

Hey Jeff, There acutally is no way for this to stop happening sadly.  The good new is adobe offers add ons starting at $34.00 a month!  Rumor says if you buy 7 adobe apps they get rid of some of the common bugs they rufuse to fix.  Let me know if this helps!

 

-Just a fan 

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Adobe Employee ,
Dec 08, 2023 Dec 08, 2023

Hi there

 

Would you mind sharing a small video recording of the steps you are doing and experiencing this issue? Also share the sample PDF file for checking at our end.

 

~Amal

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 08, 2023 Dec 08, 2023

I can't really predict when it's going to happen, though, so it's going to be difficult to know when to start a screenshot video. If it starts happening today, I'll try to do so. 

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Adobe Employee ,
Dec 11, 2023 Dec 11, 2023

Hi there,

 

Would you mind collecting the Adobe CC logs https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-log-collector.html  , Procmon logs (Win Only) https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/Labs/acromonitor.html  share them via any cloud storage. Just upload the log file to the cloud and generate the link and share that link with us for further investigation.

Regards
Amal

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 11, 2023 Dec 11, 2023

Sorry. Those are executable files, and our malware will not let them install. The solution, I believe, is more complicated than the problem itsself. I'll just use a different pdf editor. Thanks anyway.

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New Here ,
Jan 09, 2024 Jan 09, 2024

Hello. I am facing the exact issue. This only happens to the recent new version of Adobe. When I enter a text. it gets duplicated somewhere else. My file has hundreds of pages so I cant eliminate them. This is very bad.

 

You can see my original text is below, at Page 94:

ruby346800229vsw_0-1704797283930.png

 

And, it got duplicated in Page 113:

ruby346800229vsw_1-1704797347187.png

 

And, got duplicated in Page 115:

ruby346800229vsw_2-1704797375028.png

 

 

 

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New Here ,
Apr 21, 2025 Apr 21, 2025

I am facing this same issue.  Have uodate software, repaired and restated.  Norhing seems to work!

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Adobe Employee ,
Apr 21, 2025 Apr 21, 2025

Hi there

 

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out.

 

As you have updated the application, make sure it is updated to the latest version 25.01.20458 go to help > Check for updates and reboot the device.

 

Also share the sample PDF file and a small video recording of the steps you are taking and the issue as it occurs so we can get this checked at our end.

 

 

 

 

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New Here ,
Jul 30, 2025 Jul 30, 2025
LATEST

I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE, AND YES I HAVE REBOOTED AND REINSTALLED. NO UPDATES USING LATEST PRO VERSION AND IT MAKES MY WORK VERY TACKY AND UNPROFESSIONAL, LIKE I AM SOME LOONY WHO CAN'T USE A PC. 

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New Here ,
May 24, 2025 May 24, 2025

I'm having the same exact issue. I simply edit text in one box on one page, like changing a hyphen to an en dash, then it replicates the whole block of text onto the following 10 pages. I'll close the PDF without saving it, and my change (hyphen to en dash) is not saved, but all of the duplicate text is. I'm running 2025.001.20476 on a Mac. It's not a form, either.

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New Here ,
May 25, 2025 May 25, 2025

I'm having the same issue.  It doesn't happen all the time though.  Don't have a fix for that, unfortunately. 

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Adobe Employee ,
Jun 19, 2025 Jun 19, 2025

Hello @Maritza31844488migi

 

I hope you are doing well, and we apologize for the delayed response and the trouble.

 

Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 25.001.20531 (Win) | 25.001.20529 (Mac), planned update June 10, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again.

 

Are you on a Mac or a Windows machine, and what is the version? 

This issue is often caused by:

  • Linked or duplicated text fields that share the same internal name or object ID.
  • Acrobat mistakenly treats static text boxes as form fields, especially when the file was created or edited using tools like InDesign, Word, or browser-based PDF editors.
  • Corrupted structure or metadata in the PDF that causes edits to propagate unintentionally.

 

Check for Shared Field Names.
Even if it’s not a form, Acrobat may treat text boxes as fields if they share the same name:

Go to All Tools > Prepare Form
Double-click the text box
Check the field name; if it’s the same across pages, change it to something unique.

 

Flatten the PDF.
Flattening removes interactive elements and makes the text static:

Open the PDF
Go to Menu > Print > Save as PDF (this flattens the file)
Reopen and try editing again.

 

Use “Edit PDF” Instead of “Prepare Form.”
If you’re not working with forms, avoid using the “Prepare Form” tool. Instead:

Use All Tools > Edit PDF
This ensures Acrobat treats the content as static text, not interactive fields.

 

If the issue continues, please provide the following information: the current version of the operating system on your device, a sample PDF file, a screen recording with the steps/workflow of the issue, and the logs from the affected machine. To collect the logs, download and run the Log Collector tool. Make sure to select all log options and attempt to reproduce the issue. After that, close the Log Collector tool; it will generate the logs along with a log ID. Please share this log ID with us for further investigation.

 

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

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New Here ,
Jul 30, 2025 Jul 30, 2025

I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND YES I HAVE REBOOTED, REINSTALLED, NO UPDATES USING LATEST PRO VERSION AND IT MAKES MY WORK VERY TACKY AND UNPROFESSIONAL LIKE I AM SOME LOONY WHO CANT USE A PC 

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