How to stop "blue arrow" & "green check marks" in Acrobat DC Pro?

[simoncwhat]

I'm a new user of Acrobat DC Pro. I'm running Windows 7.

All I want to do is edit/create PDF files. I do NOT need/want remote access or collaboration. I just want to have the ability to use the software on my laptop files. Period.

I had no problems with the free trial version of the software. I then downloaded the paid subscription version and all of a sudden all of my file icons appearing on my home screen have either blue arrows or green checkmarks. Some files have a grey X.

How do I turn this "feature" off in Adobe Acrobat?

Please help ... thanks,

- Simon

[kglad]

if you mean your desktop icons are incorrect, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2635447/how-to-resolve-an-issue-where-all-windows-7-desktop...

if you mean something else, attach a screenshot showing the problem.

[simoncwhat]

kglad -

Thanks for responding quickly, but that's not what I mean.

My desktop icons are correct, but now they ALL contain either a green check mark, a blue arrow, or a gray X. This is the case with all icons, not just the PDFs on my home screen. See screen shot (cropped) below for samples of the issue. When I click on an icon, it functions normally, no matter what type of "marker it has". The blue arrow on the word file does NOT indicate a shortcut. When I look at properties for this file, it does not show a short cut. It is just a file I access from my home screen.

This happened within a few minutes after I downloaded and started using the paid version of Acrobat DC Pro. It did not happen while I was using the trial version of the same software. Since I haven't make any other recent changes/additions to my computer, I believe that this is an Acrobat created issue.

I thought that these files where being uploaded to some "Adobe Cloud", but when I check the Acrobat cloud storage, it doesn't show any files. More importantly, I don't need my docs in some adobe cloud, I already have a cloud backup service. I just want to create/edit files on my computer. I don't need shared or other device access.

- Simon

[Test Screen Name]

So it's your desktop icons, no the home screen (which is part of Acrobat). Ok, that's odd. Partly. I've never seen the tick or the cross. But the arrow is the standard Windows marker for a shortcut and has been for many years. It's quite unobtrusive and you probably never noticed it until the other marks appeared.

These other marks seem to affect a number of people quite suddenly; not always with Acrobat. One while playing solitaire. Here's one discussion:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-desktop/green-check-marks-on-desktop-ic...

[kglad]

that's a confusing answer and screenshot.

it looks like your desktop icons are incorrect.  they be mostly correct, but they are incorrect.

if so, fix them.

[simoncwhat]

Yes, those are my desktop icons, BUT ... NO, these are NOT shortcuts. Yes, the blue arrows look just like shortcuts, but every TRUE shortcut on my desktop says "<filename> - shortcut".

When I open the properties of a TRUE shortcut, there is a shortcut tab with info as to the files actual location. These blue arrows are on files that actually reside on my desktop and do not show as a shortcut in Properties. Also, the theory that they are shortcuts, doesn't explain the green checkmark or the gray X.

So ... based on the responses I've received so far from this forum, I think I can conclude that typical Acrobat Users do NOT have these blue arrows, green checkmarks, on their desktop icons. Is that correct???

This leads me to believe that this is not an Adobe Acrobat caused problem. HOWEVER ... when I searched this Acrobat forum for answers I have found references, to "blue arrows", "green check marks", and "gray X's" ... so, I assumed this was something that other Acrobat users were also experiencing. See the last comment in this thread: https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1497662 .

It would be nice if someone out there could tell me what's happening. As I said, this happened withing a few minutes of downloading the paid version of Acrobat DC Pro. I downloaded and paid for the download through the official Adobe website on my passworded home wifi. I doubt if it's malware. (Besides, most malware wouldn't be so nice as to notify me with checkmarks and arrows that something is happening.)

Still in need of help ...

- Simon

[Test Screen Name]

Well it might be part of the same problem. But the only one you shared is Microsoft Word which, on your desktop is a shortcut, a special kind that runs an installed app. It's the same on my desktop and has been for well over a decade, perhaps 20 years. You'll find shortcuts don't have to have the word "shortcut" in them - try renaming one!

I suggest you focus on the other two, which are certainly unusual, but a web search found at least three (legitimate) products that do this. Some backup apps do this, to show what is backed up. Microsoft OneDrive does this to show if folders are synched. However, each product has a slightly different design of arrow, and yours doesn't match any of them.

There is a hint that sometimes these take a while to appear; consider if you set up any cloud system, synching system or backup app in the days before.

Sorry, I don't know what Adobe product is being talked about in the post you shared. Not Acrobat I think.

[simoncwhat · Accepted solution]

PROBLEM SOLVED!

This is NOT an adobe Acrobat problem ... at least, not directly. These symbols (green check marks, blue arrows, gray X's) were from DROPBOX. I assumed it was Acrobat because that's the only thing I changed on my computer. Also, I found references to blue arrows and green checkmarks in posts on the Acrobat forum.

Because these new symbols erased the Carbonite (backup) green dot, I called Carbonite. They were very familiar with this problem and told me to download the latest version of Carbonite. That fixed the problem!

Could my installation of Acrobat DC Pro also have installed a new version of Dropbox? Sometimes, software companies install other software without telling you. I hope Adobe doesn't do this.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who offered help and advice!!!

- Simon

[Test Screen Name]

I've not heard of Acrobat installing anything related to DropBox. I use DropBox myself, but have no app to do it.