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February 8, 2017
Answered

How do I turn OFF the setting that automatically displays bookmarks when I open a file?

  • February 8, 2017
  • 23 replies
  • 124864 views

Every time I open a PDF file, the bookmarks panel is automatically displayed, and I have to take the extra step of closing it, because I do not use bookmarks. I see that there is an option to change how a particular PDF file opens, but most of the PDFs I work with are not saved, so I want to change the settings for Adobe so that it does NOT open every PDF with the bookmarks panel displayed. Please help!

Correct answer S_S

Hi @peterriva,

 

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for the trouble. 

 

Unless the file has been created as such that it will open the bookmark panel at launch, you can try the below steps and see if the layout you are working with stays intact.

 

Could you please try deleting “Exchange-ProMesaages” DB file after closing Adobe Acrobat.

 

The file is located at “C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\LocalLow\Adobe\Acrobat\DC.”

 

Once this file is deleted, open Acrobat and continue with the workflow.

 

Let me know if this works for you.


-Souvik

23 replies

Participant
January 15, 2022

I was also looking for a solution about this, and finally I got it.

 

Go to: Preferences/Documents and mark the option Restore last view setting when reopening documents

 

Then you have to close the bookmarks windows and you are done. This is going to be the last time you do this.

Try to open another pdf and you wont see that annoying panel again.

 

 

Participant
August 8, 2023

This worked for me. Bookmarks panel is gone now! The comments panel is the one I'm struggling with now.

Participant
November 4, 2024
I’m running Sequoia 15.1. Adobe just needs to fix this already. It is blatantly clear that everyone hates this useless feature.




100% agree. Adobe: stop forcing this on users and make bookmarks an OPTION. Everyone does hate it. 

Participating Frequently
March 30, 2021

Adobe should code in an option for the bookmarks pane problem whereby when you open a pdf file there would be a button you could click to open the bookmark pane. Not just automatically open it and take up the screen space all the time.

Maybe make it with a color preference by default or by the creator's choosing. It could be a flashing button, whatever.

Here is another problem I have now that I am thinking of all of this. Whenever I open a pdf file I always have to click up at the top and enable the smooth scroll feature, instead of each page jumping to the next as I scroll down. This too is annoying as heck. Why not a button for that that is on the menu bar too? Maybe I ask for too much. 😉

Participant
August 10, 2021

If you customize your quick tools set-up you can put that button wherever you would like... 

Participating Frequently
August 10, 2021

That sounds like a great solution. I am going to look for that option now. Never heard of it or seen it before.

try67
Community Expert
Community Expert
February 8, 2017

It's actually a setting of each individual file, not a system setting. You can change it under File - Properties - Initial View.

If you have Acrobat Pro then you can run an Action that will change it for multiple files all at once.

February 8, 2017

Thank you, but that's not the solution I'm looking for. As I stated in my question, the problem is that most of the files I work with are not saved. For example, I usually get the file in an email, open it, read it, then close it, and never look at it again. So, most if not all of the PDF files I work with are never saved, and it doesn't do me any good to change that setting for each individual file. It just wouldn't make any sense. I'm guessing that this must be a default setting that Adobe has built into the program without thinking to give users the option to change it.

Karl Heinz  Kremer
Community Expert
Community Expert
February 8, 2017

As try67 explained, this is a setting that comes with the PDF file, so it's not a default setting in Acrobat, it's something that the document author selected when they created the PDF file. Usually, a document that has bookmarks opens the bookmarks panel - otherwise many users would probably not be able to detect that there are bookmarks in the document. There is nothing you can do in Acrobat to override this document setting. A custom Acrobat plug-in would probably be able to override such document settings.