Making Adobe Acrobat DC work in Windows 11

[jwouellette_atx]

I have been having problems recently (Since 01 JAN 2025) with Adobe Acrobat DC on Windows 11. Everytime I would try to open up Acrobat, it would freeze up and give me an error message.

I combed the support and community forums for answers... none of the solutions propsed by Adobe, or others, worked.

But something else did:

1. Uninstall all Adobe software. ALL of it. Especially Creative Cloud. Use the Windows 11 Settings UI for Installed Apps.

2. Download the Acrobat DC installer from here: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-dc-downloads.html

3. Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT install Adobe Creative Cloud from the web.

4. Launch Acrobat and Sign In.

5. All should work well.

It looks like Creative Crowd is the (dead) elephant in the room and no one is calling Adobe out on it.

[jwouellette_atx]

Well, that didn't work out either. Tried to fire up Acrobat this morning and... nothing. Same isse as before.

[jwouellette_atx · Accepted solution]

Everyone should see this:

https://www.fileopen.com/issue-with-adobe-acrobat/reader-under-windows-11-24h2

Once I changed the Compatibility setting in the applicaiton Properties to Windows 8, it now seems to be working fine.

[oliver_5319]

Getting Adobe Acrobat DC to work in Windows 11 can be tricky at times. First, make sure you’ve installed the latest updates for both Windows 11 and Adobe Acrobat DC. If it’s still not working, try running the app in compatibility mode—right-click the shortcut, select Properties, go to the Compatibility tab, and choose Windows 10. Also, disabling any antivirus temporarily could help identify if it’s causing conflicts. Hope this helps! Let us know if you find a fix, just like I check subwaymenu for updates on my favorite food options!