How do you ALWAYS SHOW the thumbnails pane by default in Acrobat DC?

[dmancini_mc]

I have looked through all the settings and searched here and on Google – maybe I missed it, but I don't see the option ANYWHERE.

Acrobat DC refuses to persist my decision to open the thumbnails pane after I have closed the program and opened another file.

This is HORRIBLY annoying because I have to delete pages from almost every document I open in Acrobat DC (nature of my job and use case), and since.... "upgrading....."  *cough*  .... from Acrobat XI, I now have to "unhide" the left sidebar (I didn't ever have to do this in Acrobat XI), AND THEN tell it to show the thumbnails.  This is a HUGE waste of time working with multiple files that have to be edited thus.

I have the latest version: 2015.010.20056 on Windows 7.

[Erik-pdf]

You can fix this in any version of Acrobat. 

The documentation is hard to find.  This is old, but still works.   https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/pdf_open_parameters.pdf

(What's not documented is how to combine two parameters, but I figured it out)

To open with Page Navigation Panes Open & Tools Menu Closed by Default...

You need to use the regedit tool in windows.  This is for advanced windows users only, and I'm not going to explain how to use regedit here.  Messing up the Windows Registry can trash your operating system.

In regedit, navigate to this key, but follow the path your YOUR version of Acrobat (I have 2015).

Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Acrobat.Document.2015\shell\Open\command

- or for DC -

Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Acrobat.Document.DC\shell\Open\command

Double-click (Default) in the right pane

Change from:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat 2015\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe" "%1"

to

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat 2015\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe" /A "pagemode=thumbs&toolbar=0" "%1"

- or for DC -

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe" /A "pagemode=thumbs&toolbar=0" "%1"

To just open Page Naviagtion, remove the &toolbar=0

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat 2015\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe" /A "pagemode=thumbs" "%1"

Other Notes: for no navigation panes as the default:

/A "navpanes=0" forces navigation panes to be closed.

[ls_rbls]

this is good info

[Stab2k]

Thank you. This actually works.

[pets]

thanks for updating acrobat to the option "ALWAYS SHOW the thumbnails pane by default in Acrobat DC" by pinning.

thats so funny. i ve been waiting for this tiny but major-important option now for more than 10 years.

the option for a pdf "showing thumbnails" is one of the most important for me, to get a visual overlook and search visually by thumbnails. before, it was my daily routine, to collapse thumbnail view for every pdf i loaded. i think in the 90ies, i had the option in "acrobat settings" to always display thumbnails by default, if i remember right, but somehow adobe decided, that the users wont need this option anymore and got rid of it.

now you can pin the thumbnails view permanently, and it will open by default with thumbnails. for german users its hidden in:

left pane > "thumbnail icon (icon shows 2 pages above each other) > right click on this icon > click on "seitenminiaturen anheften" in the second last line

[nailbreak]

1. I am unable to locate Pin Page thumbnails

2. I do not mind clicking on the Arrowhead to open the area that allows me to click on Thumbnails... BUT... I have to click on the Arrowhead multiple times with Acrobat DC.

3. Just opened a PDF, and I had to click the Arrowhead 6 times

4. This is not a Windows update problem.

5. This is an Acrobat DC problem.

6. Are there any solutions to this THUMBNAIL problem..?

[ls_rbls]

What heppens if you click on Help --->>> Repair Installation

[_User888]

What's also terribly annoying is how you can barely see the context menus and Adobe commands. They are sooo light. It's frustrating especially if you have any sort of visual impairment. 

[caromessmer]

I'm on a Mac with Acrobat Pro DC in Creative Suite.

On my trackpad I have to click on the thumbnails icon in the left pane to show them. Then hold down with 2 fingers at the bottom right of the trackpad to get the pop up in the attached screenshot. In that pop up I can pin the thumbnails.

[sjallyn]

AND ON A MAC, ANYWAY, THIS TOTALLY FAILS.  Yes I can pin thumbnials but only for documents that I have opened.  A new doument does not even show the navigation pane.  That is not there by default, and so I have o mouse over to "show navigation pane or show page thumbnails" every single new document.  If I then manage to remember to pin the stupid things, then the next time I open it at leaset it will be there.  I HATE THIS BEHAVIOUR!!!!  I want thumbnails to just open with any document anytime, I open it period!  It is absurd, for all the money I spend with Adobe, this simple thing fials to work.  And it is a source of frustration and anger every single day!  Hend I use Mac Preview whenever I can.   Sadly, there are a few features of Acrobat the Preview does not have and therefore I hav to use Acrobat sometimes, and each time I  hate this UI feature.

[Akeel279279169ett]

F4 do that 

[Dcheever]

F4 opens comments on the latest version of Acrobat Pro (PC).  is there another quick key for that function on a PC?

[Karen31318494shmb]

Can we get an updated answer for this? I followed these instructions and it worked — until there was an update and now the "LHP" (yes, I had to google it separately) is on the R and there is no option to pin thumbnails when right-clicking it. Having to reopen thumbnails for each document is really slowing me down.