How can I turn off permanently the bookmarks panel in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 2021

[default65jmig9yzaom]

How can I turn off permanently the bookmarks panel in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 2021?

I cannot find any solution that work for this newest version on google.

Thank you for your help.

[try67]

There's no such option. This is a built-in part of the application and can't be "turned off".

[VladNJ]

you are correct, but it should be... Adobe forgot to include it.
you can also disable it via regedit

[jane-e]

---

@default65jmig9yzaom wrote:

How can I turn off permanently the bookmarks panel in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 2021?

---

I can think of two things you might be asking:

• To hide the Bookmarks panel from the left-hand navigation panels, go to View menu > Show / Hide > Navigation panels > uncheck Bookmarks. You can also right-click in the blank area under the Navigation panels.
• If the Bookmarks panel is opening automatically when you open a PDF, go to File menu > Properties Preferences > Initial View and set the initial view to "Page Only", then save the document.
  
  
  If the file is locked for editing, then you can't make the change. Only someone with the password can make the change. In case someone reads this later, it cannot be changed with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader either.

Is this what you are asking?

EDIT: changed "preferences" to "properties". Thank you Bernd.

Jane

[Bernd Alheit]

> go to File menu > Preferences > Initial View

It is available at the File Properties.

[default65jmig9yzaom]

neither of these options solves the problem permanently for all files, it only solves it to a single pdf file, I need to apply it for all documents that I can potentially open.

[jane-e]

@default65jmig9yzaom 

That's correct. When the creator chooses to show the Bookmarks panel when the file is initially opened, that is not something you can override. 

You can make a feature request to the developers here: https://acrobat.uservoice.com/

Jane

[Robert35604075yzjd]

Please [removed] fix this. Taking up a 1/4 of the screen for a display that is mostly white space and is information that is not relevant to the file that I opened is a very poor choice for the user experience.

[Rodger37808373vg1t]

Couldn't agree more!! This is awful! Do the people that write these programs actually test and/or use them, or do they just continually pump out worthless garbage like this?

[ErnestoMA]

Today is still annoyance, remove it already.

[matei_2277]

Still occuring in 2025. Soooo annoying to close the window every time you open a pdf! Why isn't there an option to hide or remove this garbage?

[Steve263214045icc]

1. Open Adobe without opening a file
2. Go to Preferences> Documents
3. Select "Restore last view settings when reopening documents"
4. Click "OK"
5. Open an Adobe file.
6. Close the bookmarks panel.
7. Save and close the Adobe file.
8. The next document you open should have the bookmarks panel closed.

[Steve263214045icc]

1. Open Adobe [Acrobat]without opening a file
2. Go to Preferences> Documents
3. Select "Restore last view settings when reopening documents"
4. Click "OK"
5. Open an Adobe [Acrobat]  file.
6. Close the bookmarks panel.
7. Save and close the Adobe [Acrobat]file.
8. The next document you open should have the bookmarks panel closed

("Acrobat" added by moderator. Adobe is a company; Acrobat is an application.)

[jane-e]

Thank you for your post, @Steve263214045icc , although it won't help the OP who was looking for something that applies to all documents they could potentially open in the future.

Jane

[J34538704dm2b · Accepted solution]

Thanks a TON, Steve!  The multiple new windows have been micro-annoyances for years. 

Bonus: How to remove the right hand UI "tools" window pane
1 Bring up preferences with CTLR-K
2 choose Documents
3 Check the box: "Remember curent state of Tools Pane"
4 OK

5 Next time you open a doc and then close the right hand Tools pane, it should come up closed in future docs.

Thanks, again, Steve!

[Daniel361228875ex6]

That worked for the Tools pane, but not the Bookmarks...

[cfrphoto1]

This is not a solution. What has to be done to make it not happen? It did not happen before. Why should Acrobat start now with a new, and unwanted, "feature"?

[Rachael3603137960t0]

Thank you SO MUCH!! This worked!! 

I am able to open all documents, new, old, or via email and the panels are closed to the side. ahhhh, finally!

[Robert35604075yzjd]

Thank you so much, this helped and I was able to close the bookmarks tab from opening on new documents. Very much appreciated!

[Steve231970577989]

Nope. As of January 2025, the bookmarks tab still opens automatically EVERY TIME, so this is not the correct answer.

Hey Adobe, absolutely no one needs 1/4 of their screen automatically taken up each time they open a PDF file with bookmarks.

[shahab_7590]

It did not work for me

[jim_5743]

didn't work for me

[Artemis_666]

Tons of thanks Steve!

[Mariellen31853553799q]

Hello just wondering whether you ever found a solution to this?

[Tom31960282iyhz]

none of these settings seem to work. I don't want bookmarks EVER. someone @ Adobe must think that this is essentail for all becuse it just won't go away