Note:
1. Enterprise users, please consult your IT.
2. Re-creating the Acrobat preferences restores application settings to their default.
What are ‘Preferences’ in the Acrobat:
Adobe Acrobat lets you customize the in-app experience by adjusting various settings or preferences. The Preferences include Document View settings, custom settings for Tools, shortcuts for frequently used tools, and settings to display recently used files on the home screen. These custom settings are stored in Acrobat Preferences and are automatically saved each time Acrobat DC is closed.
Important facts About Preferences
User-Specific: Preferences are specific to each user profile on a machine. They are tied to the individual’s settings and remain intact even after updating Acrobat to a newer version. However, the machine and user profile must remain the same for preferences to persist.
Manual Reset:
Preferences can be reset manually, restoring Acrobat to its default settings and creating a fresh product version. Here’s how to reset preferences on a Windows OS:
- Close the Acrobat DC application and terminate all Adobe processes from the task manager.
- In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Preferences folder: C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Preferences.
- Move the Preferences folder to another location or rename it as Preferences_old (to serve as a backup).
- Relaunch Acrobat DC and it will generate a new Preferences folder in the original location.
Note: The AppData folder is hidden and may require adjustments in File Explorer settings to gain access. Please refer to a Microsoft Article: “Show Hidden Files”, for assistance.
Restoring original preferences through Windows registry.
In some instances, resetting preferences through the Windows Registry might be necessary. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Registry Editor by entering “regedit” in the search menu of the start bar or pressing Windows + R, then “regedit” in the Run box.
- Navigate to the following location: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat[DC/2017/2020].
- Right-click on the DC folder, choose Export and save the backup file locally on your machine.
- Delete the [DC/2017/2020] folder in the Registry Editor.
- Relaunch Acrobat and it will recreate the key in the registry location.
Note: Exporting the DC registry key is a backup for customer preferences. Suppose the issue reoccurs after resetting registry preferences, and the customer wishes to revert to the previous settings. In that case, they can delete the new key in the registry location, double-click the backup file, and import it again. This should restore Acrobat to its previous state.
Resetting Preferences on macOS
On macOS, user preferences are stored in a property list (.plist) files within the user library (~/library/Preferences). To reset preferences, follow these steps:
- Create a backup:
- Exit Acrobat and terminate all Adobe processes from the Activity Monitor.
- Minimize other applications and click on any blank space on the desktop to select Finder (Mac’s File Explorer).
- Select “Go” in the menu bar, then choose “Go to Folder” and enter “~/library/preferences”.
- Locate “com.adobe.acrobat.pro.plist” and move it to a different location for backup purposes.
Resetting preferences:
- Relaunch Acrobat and it will reset to factory defaults.
- New .plist file will be generated in the preferences folder.3
- Test the workflow to determine if the issue has been resolved.
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