Problems with handling exported PDFs from AutoCAD.

[OryxAS]

Good, the next post is to expose the situation with Adobe Acrobat, since on all PCs where I have installed it presents the same behavior’s when you want to work with PDFs that are exported from AutoCAD, it gets crumpled and does not let work, now if I open the same PDF with the Edge browser or Google Chrome, for example, it works perfectly.

Could someone please explain to me why this is happening? It’s illogical in my opinion.

Thank you,

Greetings.

[Tariq Ahmad]

Hi @OryxAS,

Thanks for bringing this up. Working with PDFs exported from AutoCAD can definitely present some unique challenges in Acrobat, depending on how the original content was structured during export.

Generally speaking, PDFs from AutoCAD often behave more like vector-based drawings rather than standard text or form-based documents. As a result, some common Acrobat operations like text editing, selecting individual elements, or adding form fields may be limited or behave unpredictably, especially if:

• The content has been flattened or outlined,

• Text has been converted to curves/paths,

• Layers or object grouping from AutoCAD are retained.

To better understand your issue and help you more effectively, could you clarify a few things?

1. What specific actions are you trying to perform in Acrobat (e.g., editing, commenting, selecting text, adding form fields)?

2. How was the PDF exported from AutoCAD — using DWG to PDF, Plot, or a plugin?

3. Are you seeing any error messages or unexpected behavior?

4. Which version of Acrobat and OS are you working on?

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions:

• Try using “Edit PDF” in Acrobat, but note that text may not be editable if AutoCAD converted it to vector outlines.

• If you’re adding comments or markups, use the Comment tool set, which usually works fine even on complex CAD-based PDFs.

• For better results, ask your AutoCAD export source to retain text as searchable characters (e.g., TrueType fonts rather than curves).

Looking forward to your response, so we can dive deeper into this with you!

Best regards,

Tariq | Adobe Community Team

[OryxAS]

Good day, and thank you very much for answering, Tariq Ahmad Dar.

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. What specific actions are you trying to perform in Acrobat (e.g., editing, commenting, selecting text, adding form fields)?

Answer: We only try to view the file, but after it opens, it hangs and does not let us move through it.

1. How was the PDF exported from AutoCAD — using DWG to PDF, Plot, or a plugin?

Answer: using DWG to PDF.

1. Are you seeing any error messages or unexpected behaviour?

Answer: No, no error message is displayed.

4. Which version of Acrobat and OS are you working on?

Answer: The Acrobat version is the latest available, the operating system version is Win10 and Win11.

Concerning the suggestions, the truth is that it does not let me do anything, after opening the Acrobat is frozen, so much so that you must force its closure with the task manager, which does not happen if I open the same file to view it with any web browser (Edge or Chrome).

Greetings.