Making Hand Tool the Default Choice

[vladk5779022]

In Adobe Acrobat Professional, after I select the Selection Tool and close the document, the next document which I open has the Selection Tool selected. (The program remembers the last choice.) What needs to be changed in the settings so that documents may always open with the Hand (Pan) tool selected?

[noemirPS · Accepted solution]

Interestingly enough - afters hours of searching for a solution this is what worked for me:

• I opened a PDF, right-clicked to select the Hand Tool
• In Edit>Preferences>Accessibility>CHECK "Always display the keyboard selection cursor">Click OK (this was unchecked by default)
• In Edit>Preferences>General - Change Touch Mode to Always (This was Auto-detect by default)

So, essentially I did the reverse of everything I found online and it worked.  I have closed and opened multiple PDF's and the Hand Tool is always the default.  Hope this helps!

[RWui · Accepted solution]

Just got off with Enterprise Support and they said these recent changes are by design.  They know all these work arounds that have been floating around on these forums no longer work after this latest update.

The Support Tech provided had me change a registry key and it fixed the problem. 

Browse to key:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\Selection
Set aDefaultSelect=Hand (instead of Select)

We did this several months ago, but updates revert this back to Select.  But it works.  Just have to redo it depending on the scope of the update.  

Once you create this entry, you can export this key to a .REG file.  Then you can simply run this file on all affected comptuers.  I would have your IT do this.

Good luck.

[HaVX · Accepted solution]

I have just updated my Acrobat DC to version 2022.002.20212 | 64-bit and found that this update have not fixed the issue yet:

In Non-Touch Mode, the tool is default to the Select Tool. In this mode, if I change to the Hand Tool, Acrobat can't let me "Make Hand tool select text & images", even if I checked this option.

In Touch Mode, the tool is default to the Hand Tool. In this mode, the "Make Hand tool select text & images" option works well. But I don't want the Touch Mode.

Workaround solution: set the following value
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\Selection]
"aDefaultSelect"="Hand"

[Roger26312052nfhf · Accepted solution]

The only solution that worked for me was to:

1. Open Acrobat

2. Open random pdf document

3. Select "comment" tool

4. When in 'comment mode' left-click document and select Hand tool.

5. Close and reopen Acrobat

6. Hand tool should now be set as default.

[Jonathan33662419sr8k · Accepted solution]

After dealing with this issue for far too long, in the end as always it was obvious and for some reason it is not the top answer on any of the discussions I found surrounding the topic of the defaulting hand tool. 

Simply go to edit, then preferences and in general you may notice that touch mode is set on always or auto-detect. Change it to prompt on launch or never. Done.

This happened in my case because I had to delete and download Adobe again, and if you have a touch screen computer it will assume you want to get handsy so it will default to the hand. Switch it to prompt on launch or never and you'll get the select tool back regardless of whatever is going on in accessibility or the boxes for adjusting how the hand tool works. 

[donald_7193 · Accepted solution]

Thanks Roger. I had several different navigation tools disappear from my toolbar, which I keep on top and always open. I went to Comment tool as you said and found the missing tools at the bottom. There is what looks like a horizontal ruler with 5 dots in it, this "moves page control into toolbar." That moved them all into the toolbar as I previously had. There is the same ruler to move them out of the toolbar, I must have accidently hit that at some point. Problem solved! 

[unclekirkie]

Windows 10, Acrobat Reader: both with latest updates.

None of the solutions here did anything. 

I even Revo uninstalled the whole Reader and shutdown and re-installed.

Then applied all the ideas (including this one). Still seeing Select tool every time I open a PDF.

Sigh....thanks for any ideas not in this discussion.

[Amal.]

Hi All

This issue is fixed with the new release 22.2.20212 now available. Please update the application from the help menu > check for updates and reboot the computer once.

For more information about the new release please go through the help page https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/ReleaseNotesDC/index.html

Regards

Amal

[HaVX · Accepted solution]

I have just updated my Acrobat DC to version 2022.002.20212 | 64-bit and found that this update have not fixed the issue yet:

In Non-Touch Mode, the tool is default to the Select Tool. In this mode, if I change to the Hand Tool, Acrobat can't let me "Make Hand tool select text & images", even if I checked this option.

In Touch Mode, the tool is default to the Hand Tool. In this mode, the "Make Hand tool select text & images" option works well. But I don't want the Touch Mode.

Workaround solution: set the following value
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\Selection]
"aDefaultSelect"="Hand"

[unclekirkie]

HaVX, my basketball buddy! Thank you for your answer. I used Revo Uninstaller to completely rip out Acrobat Reader & rebooted carefully, reinstalled, did the normal preferences settings and still no joy. But when I did the registry change, presto it works! Thank you very much!

[RWui]

This did not fix the issue.  Fresh 64-bit installation updated to 22.2.20212 and it still defaults to the selection tool instead of the hand tool. 

[RWui]

Amal,

As I stated in my last reply, this has not solved the issue.  I have performed several fresh installations since you marked everything as solved and the tool is still defaulting to Selection.

I must still go into the registry and manually change the default to Hand.

Please advise.  Marking all threads related to this as solved without having users test out your solution is a bit short sided.

[Amal.]

Hi @RWui 

We are sorry for the trouble. This issue is reported to the engineering team and they are working on it.

We will share more information once we get any updates from them.

Thanks for your time and patience

Regards

Amal

[gaurav2]

Hi RWui,

Sorry for the inconvience caused. We are showing Select Tool as default,  To change it to hand tool we can easily do it through just by selecting Hand tool and to get Hand tool selected always you can select Touch Mode Always under Preferences --> General.

Please let me know if this is not the issue to fix it asap.

Thanks & Regards

Gaurav

[RWui]

Gaurav, 

Unfortunatly Touch Mode set to Always does not stick.  After restarting Adobe, even though it's in Touch Mode, it goes back to Selection Tool.  This is with a fresh install and fully updated Adobe Acrobat 64,

Extremely frustrating that Adobe cannot get this problem fixed or provide a toggle in Preferences to explicitly choose what the user wants to default to.

Acrobat and Creative Cloud is a HOT MESS right now.

[gaurav2]

Hi RWui,

Sorry for the trouble , Could you please help me with below details to fix it asap.
1. Could you please share the Acrobat version.
2. Could you please share the Device details like Win/Mac , Version , Touch/Non Touch.
3. Also , a short video of the issue.

Thanks & Regards
Gaurav

[Thomas269711863791]

Go to Edit preferences, General, and set Touch Mode:  Never.  This switched if the the selection cursor by default.

[teresaa84034383]

[arden_6710]

El resto de opciones no funcionan. ESTA Sï y con una imagen clara y concisa. Gracias.

The other options don't work. THIS YES WORK and with a clear and concise image. Thank you.

[Jeffrey27829254ela7]

@noemirPS AWESOME!!! Thank you so MUCH!  It really was opposite of everything online.

[Roger26312052nfhf · Accepted solution]

The only solution that worked for me was to:

1. Open Acrobat

2. Open random pdf document

3. Select "comment" tool

4. When in 'comment mode' left-click document and select Hand tool.

5. Close and reopen Acrobat

6. Hand tool should now be set as default.

[donald_7193 · Accepted solution]

Thanks Roger. I had several different navigation tools disappear from my toolbar, which I keep on top and always open. I went to Comment tool as you said and found the missing tools at the bottom. There is what looks like a horizontal ruler with 5 dots in it, this "moves page control into toolbar." That moved them all into the toolbar as I previously had. There is the same ruler to move them out of the toolbar, I must have accidently hit that at some point. Problem solved! 

[Jennifer30680659gqbu]

@noemirPS you are my hero. This has been driving me bananas since the new update.

[smsaq4u]

Run regedit

Browse to > HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\Selection
Set aDefaultSelect=Hand (instead of Select)

[Jonathan33662419sr8k · Accepted solution]

After dealing with this issue for far too long, in the end as always it was obvious and for some reason it is not the top answer on any of the discussions I found surrounding the topic of the defaulting hand tool. 

Simply go to edit, then preferences and in general you may notice that touch mode is set on always or auto-detect. Change it to prompt on launch or never. Done.

This happened in my case because I had to delete and download Adobe again, and if you have a touch screen computer it will assume you want to get handsy so it will default to the hand. Switch it to prompt on launch or never and you'll get the select tool back regardless of whatever is going on in accessibility or the boxes for adjusting how the hand tool works. 

[David35688868i4yn]

I just tried what noemirPS recommended and it works.  Nothing else that I tried or what was recommended di - exist this one.  Thanks noemirPS

[33delaware]

Acrobat is the worst software. It behaves exactly like Microsoft, which is an inferior tool.

[abdulhakim_2436 · Accepted solution]

This didn't work for me. Instead, this worked (copied from another post): Changing Touch Mode from AUTO-DETECT to ALWAYS seems to have worked for me.  Now all files are opening with hand tool already selected.