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

[Guest]

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!

[danielw29770221]

Please fix this.  It is incredibly annoying for anyone who works with engineering drawings.

[KeystoneOutdoorGear]

Worked for me.  Thanks!

Seriously these tech bro managers and their 'people probably want the most annoying thing possible' attitude is frustrating.

[KeystoneOutdoorGear]

Dammit!  It worked until it didn't.

[Les34297304tv9j]

The problem is that programmers know the "how", but have no idea about the "what". As a result - they use very sofisticated (in some cases) code to create idiotic applications with idiotic features. I am an engineer - and we frequently had to create our own applications because there was no way of convincing the dumbass programmers to do what was needed and no mor. They love including "features" which no one uses and which are annoying as hell.

[Wienke]

It worked for you because you are reopening the same document, which is what the setting says it does:

"Preferences/Documents and mark the option Restore last view setting when reopening documents."

The complaints here are about opening different and new documents.

It's understandable that you overlooked the word "reopening," and it's also understandable that you would not read all these posts carefully (which probably would have made the problem apparent), but it's also understandable that people get irritated when they (and many others) are making a valid point, clearly, and yet not getting through.

[S. S]

Hi @Wienke,

You might want to try the steps mentioned in the correct answer.

It worked for other users on the thread, and might prove helpful.

-Souvik

[Wienke]

Hi @S. S
I see you are referring to the suggestion to delete the DC folder. I actually had tried that, and it made no difference.
(On a Mac running Sonoma 14.7, btw, that folder is at Library (opt key while clicking Go)>ApplnSupport>Acobe>Acrobat>DC.)
I tried it again just now to doublecheck. I had a PDF open in Acrobat, turned off the bookmarks tab, quit out of Acrobat, found and deleted the DC folder, emptied the trash for good measure, downloaded a new PDF doc, and double-clicked it from Finder to launch Acrobat. The Bookmarks panel sprang open as before.
Now, this PDF does actually have “page identifiers” for all its pages, just the page #s. This may mean that it has been generated with options checked to display those bookmarks.
This issue was addressed clearly by @Curtis246310717wfb in his Jul 9 post: “Regardless of how important they are, Adobe could easily implement an option for the user to just have the bookmarks panel not fling open for every document, or show a small glowing button in the toolbar when opening a document that actually has them, if they are so important.”
Furthermore, although I do have the Acrobat Pref checked under Documents “Restore last view settings when reopening documents,” even that does not work with this PDF: Open it, close the bookmarks panel, close it (or quit Acrobat entirely), reopen it, either via Recent list or from Finder, and the bookmarks panel is displayed.
On the other hand, if I open a jpeg in Preview and export it as PDF, that will open without the bookmarks panel. So the problem appears to be limited to certain types of PDFs, but those are ubiquitous, and, as Curtis246310717wfb says, people opening them as a routine matter really should have an option to override whatever feature is causing the bookmarks panel to display.

[S. S]

@Wienke Thanks for the detailed insights.

This could also be how a document is created. 

If you go to Menu-> Document Properties-> Initial View, you will be able to see if the document has been made to open the Bookmark Panel by default (screenshot attached)

You can change this view as per your preference and Acrobat should follow the same behavior.

-Souvik

[MWMc61]

"If you go to Menu-> Document Properties-> Initial View...."

That only works for the current document.  I have to do this process countless number of times every day.

I wish an Adobe Acrobat representative would read the posts in this forum.

[George255485664cca]

Worked for me.... THANKS!!!!! That was such an annoying feature.

[Curtis246310747wfb]

Can I ask what version you use?? I've got Adobe Acrobat Pro 2020, and it doesn't work for me.

[gabrielleflo]

OH. MY. GOD!  IT WORKED!  You are my hero!!!!  I'm running Abrobat Pro version 2023.001.20177 on a mac (ios Ventura 13.3.1 (a).  No idea if that matters but worked and this is honestly the highlight of my week so far lol.  

[Gonzalo27145744qh8c]

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

[Jennifer28337676zwkd]

This doesn't work for me either. It wasn't there before for me, so it must have been some udpate. I am missing the upper toolbar also. Looking around I see "Disable new Acrobat". Anyone know what that does? 😕 

[MWMc61]

This 'correct answer' does not work for me either.  The file, Exchange-ProMesaages, keeps returning to the same location even after closing Adobe and restrarting the computer.

[gabrielleflo]

It didn't work for me either.  There is no such file name in the entire adobe folder (mac).  

[Wienke]

Hi @gabrielleflo

The suggestion is not to delete the entire Adobe folder; it's to delete the DC folder inside. Here's where to find it on a Mac running Sonoma: Library>ApplnSupport>Acobe>Acrobat>DC. Delete the DC folder.

This did not work for me, at least not for the PDFs that I'm usually dealing with. But you might as well try it.

[gabrielleflo]

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





[RainbowChaser]

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

[MWMc61]

AND, am I crazy- or am I reading correctly above that this discussion began Feb 08, 2017 ???

[George255485664cca]

Agreed 100%. The bookmarks panel needs to be closed when a file is opened.

[Wienke]

Ah, I missed the true solution, posted by Iascarco in May 2023—(yikes! i didn’t realize how old this thread was!)
Here’s what you do on a Mac: Select a PDF. Comm-I to Get Info. About halfway down is “Open with.” Choose Preview. Make this the default to open PDFs by clicking “Change All.”
Now PDFs will open in a big beautiful window.
You can even use command-F to search the PDF’s contents in Preview.

[Curtis246310747wfb]

Thanks for asking the question. I'm looking for the same thing. I work in an office where we deal with hundreds of engineering drawings per week. We review them, create them, send them, receive them... always new documents, never the same. We don't want to turn off the Bookmarks pane for every single drawing we open. We want it turned off ALWAYS.

[David25246255ikyn]

A simple solution would be to make bookmarks always visible when opening but provide an off button in preferences. This would be like comments and other persistent menus that open by default. If we are smart enough to find the off button, surely, we are smart enough to expand bookmarks if we want to see them. I would take this a bit further. Give us a catchall button to open DC with no menus expanded. 

[lascarco]

I found a bypass, as I found the bookmark tab as annoying as you did.  From any windows folder, right click on the document, select "Open With", then select "Google Chrome" or "Microsoft Edge" or other app listed.  What do you know!  No bookmark tab, which is evidence that the browser can manage if the bookmark pane is displayed or not.  
To make "Google Chrome" or "Microsoft Edge" the default when opening PDF documents, just google "make microsoft edge default pdf viewer" and follow the instructions.