Read a pdf without signing in

[Justin3167320153hh]

Im sure this has been asked before but I cant find a recent answer.

I have run a signed-in adobe acrobat previously on my Home PC, but now the licence is installed on my work PC and laptop.

Now I cant even read a pdf on my Home PC withough it trying to sign me in.

Is there a way around this?

OR

Is signing in with my paid subscription the worst thing I could have done on my home PC and I am now being punished for having a paid subscription?

Regards

[ravinderg62643219 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Justin3167320153hh 

For your usecase I would suggest to create the following registry key.  In this setting, Acrobat will run as Reader mode and don't ask for sign in, while if you want to use paid features, sign in with your Adobe ID and use the paid features. Signing out will again make it work like Reader.

Key Path : - Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown

Key Name - bIsSCReducedModeEnforcedEx

Key Value - 1

Key Type - DWORD

Regards

Ravi

[Justin3167320153hh · Accepted solution]

When I export the key I get this path which looks a different path
different to yours...(Policies)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe
Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown]
"bIsSCReducedModeEnforcedEx"=dword:00000001

Good luck

[try67]

If you log out of your account you should still be able to view the PDF using the free Reader (which is the same application, only without the additional features of the subscription).

[Justin3167320153hh]

I dont believe this is correct. When I log out it wont let me read a pdf using the "free reader". Unfortunatley this is the reason for this question.

[try67]

> A workaround could be using free alternatives like Adobe Reader without logging in 

That's the entire point of this question... And yes, it is possible.

Here's me doing it on my machine using the latest version of Reader, without being logged in (notice it says "Sign In" at the top right corner):

[Justin3167320153hh]

It might if I sign out, totally uninstall Acrobat and reinstall but Im not
interested in doing this because I want to keep the full package on my home
PC for when I need it.

Presently, after being logged in, if I log out I cant use the 'reader'
version. I think once the program its been updated with the subscription
tools, you cant easily roll back to using the 'reader', even if you log
out. I tried creating a basic account on a different email to see if this
helped but it insisted I pay up (after a week trial).

(My understanding is there is no 'reader' anymore it's actually the same
installer, BEcause if I try to install the 'reader' is says its already
installed. but happy to be proven wrong).

[ravinderg62643219]

Hi @Justin3167320153hh 

You can uninstall Adobe Acrobat and install the free Reader from https://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Regards

Ravi

[Justin3167320153hh]

Ok thanks. 

Is this the only way?

I run 3 computers, home, work, lapotop but can only be logged in on 2. Is it therefor impossible to read a PDF on the 'logged out' computer using acrobat without uninstalling Acrobat and installing the reader every time?

Is acrobat punishing me for maintaining a paid account? 

[ravinderg62643219 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Justin3167320153hh 

For your usecase I would suggest to create the following registry key.  In this setting, Acrobat will run as Reader mode and don't ask for sign in, while if you want to use paid features, sign in with your Adobe ID and use the paid features. Signing out will again make it work like Reader.

Key Path : - Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown

Key Name - bIsSCReducedModeEnforcedEx

Key Value - 1

Key Type - DWORD

Regards

Ravi

[justin_0936]

Hi Ravi,

This woork great thanks. Exactly what I was trying to achieve.

Justin

[Justin3167320153hh]

Signed in correctly on my main account!!!

Thanks Ravi,

Solved.

[James37794113phmo]

Great tip. It would be excellent to see this as the standard behaviour. Makes moving around multiple computers constantly a real pain. 

[C.34849720xnti]

Hi @ravinderg62643219, any chance you know how to solve this issue on macOS as well? I am having the same issue on my Macbook

[S. S · Accepted solution]

Hi @C.34849720xnti,

Thanks for writing in!

The same workflow can be achieved in Mac. 

The only difference: the values have to be added through Terminal.

You can try the below terminal commands based on the version of Acrobat you have:
For Acrobat Pro DC: sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro.plist bIsSCReducedModeEnforcedEx -int 1

For Acrobat Reader: sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.adobe.Acrobat.Reader.plist bIsSCReducedModeEnforcedEx -int 1

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Souvik.

[C.34849720xnti]

Thank you Souvik, I followed your instructions as well as the instructions on https://helpx.adobe.com/enterprise/kb/acrobat-64-bit-for-enterprises.html under "How to use unified Acrobat in read-only mode in macOS?". It worked, and now I can use Acrobat on my Macbook without signing in!

[Tony34854159jgxr]

Thank you for bringing this up Justin. I was feeling the exact same way as you. I have 3 computers (work desktop, travel laptop and kitchen tablet for recipes/googling/looking up cat videos) I got the subscription because occassionally (less than once a month) I need to edit a pdf for my home business and got tired of asking my friends to do it for me. All the sudden, it created a headache for me because I couldn't use reader on my tablet.

I too felt like I was being punished! This use case needs to be more accessible than hand editing a registry key, but so glad this option exists.

[gvaeth]

It's not working for me.  I start Acrobat and soon after the login window pops up.  A few seconds after dismissing it Acrobat closes.  

I exported the new key.  Does this look correct?  I had to create the FeatureLockdown path.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown]
"bIsSCReducedModeEnforcedEx"=dword:00000001

[Justin3167320153hh · Accepted solution]

When I export the key I get this path which looks a different path
different to yours...(Policies)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe
Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown]
"bIsSCReducedModeEnforcedEx"=dword:00000001

Good luck

[gvaeth]

Oof, I can't follow simple directions and proofread I guess.  I don't have access to that PC right now but I'll create the correct key and test later today.

Thanks.

[gvaeth]

As expected, works fine.  No more family members frantically tracking me down to get the password!

[S. S]

Hi @gvaeth,

Hope you are doing well. 

Thanks for sharing that it worked for you.

Marking this as a correct answer for future users to use as a reference.

Regards,
Souvik.