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

Community Beginner ,
Mar 07, 2016 Mar 07, 2016

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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.

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Adobe Employee , Jan 10, 2017 Jan 10, 2017

Hi All,

Acrobat & Reader January updates for DC Continuous (Build # 2015.023.20053), DC Classic (Build # 2015.006.30279) and 11.0.19 are now live.

In this Update we support keeping any Navigation pane pinned, i.e.  to open by default for all the documents in the LHP.

This is how you can try this out:

1) Launch any PDF and Expand the Panel that you want the acrobat to open by default for every document(For Ex. Page Thumbnails)

2) Right click on the LHP Navigation strip , Select the option from the con

...

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Community Expert ,
Mar 10, 2016 Mar 10, 2016

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You can specify the initial view in the properties of the document.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 31, 2016 Mar 31, 2016

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The BEST ANSWER I have seen so far is at how can I keep tool pane and thumbnails open as a default?‌ . 

That response advises using

(1)    F4 to get the "Page Thumbnails Pane" open or closed.  After you have pressed F4 to open the Page Thumbnails Pane,

(2)    ALSO click EDIT, PREFERENCES, DOCUMENTS and CHECK the box beside "Restore last view settings when reopening documents".  Click OK / Apply to save the check box change.

(3)    Then be sure you SAVE the current file you have F4'ed your preferred view.

In my case, I ALWAYS need Page Thumbnails open for the files I update.  I hope this helps you as much as it did me.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 31, 2016 Mar 31, 2016

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I have actually done that already; it only applies to the current document.  If I open another document that has not been opened before by DC, the Thumbnail pane does not open.  It only opens for documents that I have already opened it inside of.

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 02, 2017 Feb 02, 2017

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Adobe finally fixed this:

1) Launch any PDF and Expand the Panel that you want the acrobat to open by default for every document(For Ex. Page Thumbnails)2) Right click on the LHP Navigation strip , Select the option from the context menu "Pin Page thumbnails" .

3) now try out by launching any other pdf -> You will observe that the Page thumbnails panel would appear expanded by default on launch(If document does not have any other document specific preference )

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Explorer ,
May 26, 2021 May 26, 2021

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What is LHP Navigation Strip? Where is it? There is no Pin Page Thumbnails option anywhere.

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Community Expert ,
May 27, 2021 May 27, 2021

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New Here ,
May 28, 2023 May 28, 2023

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This was the best solution for this problem... it seems to work I am very greatful. I do not know how much time I have spent on solving issuse in connection with updates!!! I think new updates should not interfere with current setting but be optional for anyone who want to change... it is so tedious to have to look upp everything to get back th where I want to be all the time... Legacy should be default.

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New Here ,
Jan 13, 2023 Jan 13, 2023

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Thank you so so much 

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Contributor ,
May 12, 2016 May 12, 2016

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Just dump the ridiculous piece of crap that  Adobe Acrobat has become and use the marvellous PDF-XChange Editor.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 25, 2016 Jul 25, 2016

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No kidding. Do people have to have frontal lobe damage before they redesign these apps? They just become less usable. It's inexplicable. Who doesn't need to see page thumbnails?!

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Explorer ,
Sep 16, 2016 Sep 16, 2016

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Same here.  There is no way to keep the thumbnail pane persistent.  There is never a situation that I don't want this open.  And unless literally every single client and person on the planet sets the view for their document that I then have to open, I will always have to click on the stupid show panel button then the pages button (or F4).

Adobe, why did you do something so blatantly inefficient?  As a paying user I should be able to configure my WORKING environment so I can WORK like the professional you (Adobe) suggest you develop for.

I'm not happy with Acrobat Pro.  It is much more cumbersome than it has ever been prior to v8.

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Community Beginner ,
Oct 07, 2016 Oct 07, 2016

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Is anyone from Adobe going to get off their ass and fix this? 

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New Here ,
Oct 10, 2016 Oct 10, 2016

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F4 key will open the page thumbnails panel on the left.  Don't know if it will stay as a default, tho.

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Community Beginner ,
Oct 11, 2016 Oct 11, 2016

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F4 doesn't keep the thumbnail page open by default.  Currently the only option to keep the thumbnail page open by default is to go to Edit > Preferences > Documents and check the box labeled "Restore last view settings when reopening documents" (credit to vb64589654).  However this ONLY works for PDF files that you've already opened before.

This is a fix that Adobe needs to deploy in a version update but given how long this extremely simple fix is it's pretty obvious that they just don't care. It makes no sense, if other Acrobat versions can do this so why can't DC...

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New Here ,
Oct 21, 2016 Oct 21, 2016

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Just adding my 2 cents in hopes that Adobe developers are listening...

In working with PDF files my primary use of Acrobat is to extract pages from gigantic PDFs, creating many smaller files. In order to do so quickly, I need to display the thumbnails pane. I WISH I didn't have to open the thumbnail pane EACH and EVERY time I open a new file. This (even with the F4 keyboard shortcut) is a PAIN, very annoying, and a real time waster.  Adobe, please fix this!

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New Here ,
Nov 03, 2016 Nov 03, 2016

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This one issue makes Preview.app (Mac) a better option for default viewing of pdfs.

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Adobe Employee ,
Jan 10, 2017 Jan 10, 2017

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Hi All,

Acrobat & Reader January updates for DC Continuous (Build # 2015.023.20053), DC Classic (Build # 2015.006.30279) and 11.0.19 are now live.

In this Update we support keeping any Navigation pane pinned, i.e.  to open by default for all the documents in the LHP.

This is how you can try this out:

1) Launch any PDF and Expand the Panel that you want the acrobat to open by default for every document(For Ex. Page Thumbnails)

2) Right click on the LHP Navigation strip , Select the option from the context menu "Pin Page thumbnails" .

3) now try out by launching any other pdf -> You will observe that the Page thumbnails panel would appear expanded by default on launch(If document does not have any other document specific preference )

Refer here for more info on this What's new in Adobe Acrobat DC -> "Retain the last LHP state across Acrobat launches"

Let me know for any other Ask in this.

Thanks

Ayush Jain

Acrobat Team

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Community Beginner ,
Jan 29, 2017 Jan 29, 2017

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I was happy to see your post and eager to get this working.  I have Acrobat Pro DC 2015 Release (Classic) Version 2015.006.30280; no updates are available.  However, there is no "Pin" option with a right-click context menu.  What am I missing??

Thanks,

/Cal/

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LEGEND ,
Feb 02, 2017 Feb 02, 2017

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This was a new feature. The permanent license version doesn't get new features until a chargeable upgrade is made available. Classic = permanent, continuous = subscription. Subscription strongly recommended.

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New Here ,
Apr 21, 2017 Apr 21, 2017

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After you expand the Navigation Pane with the thumbnails try going to Edit>Preferences>Documents and then uncheck the box under Open Settings that's next to "Allow documents to hide the menu bar, toolbars, and window controls." That's done the trick for me so far.

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 02, 2017 Feb 02, 2017

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Thank you!  Finally!  It seems like DC simply re-arranged all the exact same tools that existed in XI.  It has the "new" banner next to "compare," but compare was available in XI.  I miss XI.

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 19, 2018 Apr 19, 2018

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Be even nicer if they would give us back the tools that existed in Acrobat 7! AND STOP FORCING US OVER TO THE [never-to-be-sufficiently-damned] MOUSE!

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 09, 2017 Feb 09, 2017

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Awesome! thanks for this. If only it was obvious - or even in the help file.
I've wasted HOURS trying to figure this out. I reckon Adobe owes me about $200.

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New Here ,
Jun 09, 2017 Jun 09, 2017

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Thanks for the reply, the "Pin" option does not seem to appear in Acrobat 11.0.20

Is there something else I need to do to get that option to show up?

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