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Participant
January 4, 2017
Question

How do I get rid of Acrobat DC and get regular Adobe back.

  • January 4, 2017
  • 9 replies
  • 19615 views

I have had CC for years.

Today I double clicked a .PDF and instead of seeing the .PDF document open, I saw a message that said "click here to sign in and start your Acrobat DC trial!" 

I clicked cancel but Acrobat just closed.  I tried over and over again but it is forcing me to atart an Acrobat DC trial.  So I went ahead and said yes, please go ahead and invade my computer with this unwanted trial that I am never going to subscribe to nor pay for.

After a 30 minute download and installation, it says Acrobat DC trial is installed and will expire in 7 days.  I opened my .PDF and viewed it.  Then I went to the CC setup and clicked on the dropdown next to the Acrobat DC 7-day trial message and the only option available is uninstall.  So I click uninstall. 

After 20 minute uninstallation session Acrobat DC is gone.  I double click a .PDF to open it and yup, you guess it, it's demanding that I install Acrobat DC to start my free trial.

I don't want Acrobat DC.  I just want regular Acrobat that I've been using for years and years.  Please explain to me how to get rid of this annoying and violating nagware that you've forced on my machine.

9 replies

Participant
September 20, 2025

I ran into the exact same problem and it drove me nuts. Adobe has phased out the “old” Acrobat (XI and earlier), so now they only push Acrobat DC. If you just want to view PDFs, the best fix is to uninstall Acrobat DC completely and then install Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (the free version). After that, set Reader as your default PDF app so it stops asking you to start a DC trial. If you still need editing features but don’t want to subscribe, you’ll have to either reinstall your old perpetual version (if you have the license key) or switch to a third-party editor like Foxit or Nitro.

Participant
August 26, 2024

To resolve this, try reinstalling your old Acrobat version from Creative Cloud and ensure it’s set as your default PDF viewer. If issues persist, contact Adobe support to revert to your previous installation and settings. If you need further assistance i have detailed video on Spotimax.

Participant
April 12, 2024

Dear all,

 

I have read the problem posted by @ad0bechupas and the replies with interest. I have had the same exact problem and it has been driving me mad, because I cannot read any of the PDFs I download or receive. I am not subscribing for any licenced products from Adobe (I was getting it through work, but am no longer with that organisation anymore). I am opening PDF documents in Chrome or Edge and having to put up with the limitations of viewing PDFs on a browser (no editing needed but twist, turn, zoom, sign, view, text select, highlight, etc. menu items you get with the Adobe Reader app previously are not accessible on any browser that I can see). 

 

It is a discgrace that once a product becomes popular and takes the monopoly position, the vendor tries to hold you to ransom. If possible I would boycot Adobe. Any thoughts, any free 'worthy' alternatives you would suggest? 

 

Thank you

 

Yusuf

Amal.
Community Manager
Community Manager
April 22, 2024

Hi there

 

Hope you are doing well.

 

Would you mind sharing what happens when you try to use the freeware application Adobe Acrobat Reader? Do you get any error message? If yes, please share the screenshot of the same for more clarity.

 

Also, make sure you have the recent version 24.02.20687 installed. Go to Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once.

 

~Amal

Participant
January 22, 2021

I have the same problem now.  Is my computer hacked?  I already paying fir an Adobe subscription that is $14.99 per month.  And now keep asking me to subscribe to acrobat dC.  If I cancel, it doesn't open my documents.  

Participant
December 31, 2020

I just did this today.  Go to Adobe support and get their tech to help you and it will all be gone.

He double clicked in Finder /Apps and we put Adobe Pro and DC in the trash and emptied!

Happy New Year!

Participant
March 25, 2022

Thanks! That worked for me. This problem has been driving me nuts for days.

Participant
January 12, 2017

If you run into this problem, open a live chat with Adobe.  Answer their questions.  They will transfer you to a technical support chat specialist.  That person will have to take remote access of your machine and do about 15 minutes of work.  After that it is licensed and works.  Some sort of bug with Adobe's big push to get Adobe Acrobat DC out there.

Participant
March 11, 2020

I took this advice and was ultimately shuttled off to a paid  - by me - third party technician who was willing to listen to my Adobe caused problem after providing my credit card. So much for Adobe assistance. Dealing with this "Free Trial" has been frustrating, to say the least. 

John T Smith
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 31, 2020

>shuttled off to a paid  - by me - third party technician

 

If you did not use Adobe's official support link https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/support.html you may have been 'hooked' by a scammer

Participant
January 12, 2017

Been a week and no response from Adobe support.  For $2,500 vs. the support this is by far the worst purchase I've ever made in my entire life.  I've been looking for an excuse to cancel and go to your competitor and I think I've now found it.

Participant
January 12, 2017

In Acrobat DC, I went to Help-Signout, then closed the program, then rebooted, then opened Acrobat DC, went to Help-signin, and signed in using my creative cloud credentials.  This didn't fix the problem.

When I go to the toolbar and open the Creative Cloud app and click on Apps, it lists Acrobat DC and a link that says Trial Expired and a button that says Buy Now.  When I click on Buy Now, it takes me here and tells me I need to pay $49.99 a month extra:

Creative Cloud pricing and membership plans | Adobe Creative Cloud

kglad
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 4, 2017

what were you using to open pdfs before?

p.s. there is no 'regular acrobat'.  the only free pdf viewer from adobe is 'adobe reader'.  there is no free pdf editor from adobe.

Participant
January 12, 2017

Thanks for a very unhelpful post, kglad.

I said "I clicked cancel but Acrobat just closed".  Is there another name for Adobe Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC now informs me that my 7 day trial has expired and it wants me to purchase.  I do not want to purchase Acrobat DC, because I am already subscribed to Acrobat X "regular Acrobat" as part of my Creative Cloud subscription that I've had for years.

How do I get Acrobat or Acrobat X on my machine and get rid of the forced Acrobat Pro DC or Acrobat DC that I previously described in my post above?

I logged into my Adobe on-line account.  I click on Overview.  Under "Plans & Products" and then under "Creative Cloud membership (one year)" I click on "Manage Plan".   Under "Plan Details" it has "Get to know your plan".  It has a column "Includes all desktop apps".  Under that list is:

Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Adobe Muse, Animate, Acrobat Pro DC, Audition, and InCopy.

On the right-hand side it shows my most recent 12-month payment history, I have paid $54.29 a month for the past 12 months.  But I can't even open a .PDF.   Have been a subscriber since May 11, 2012 and have shelled out around $2,500 since then but I can't open a PDF.