Updater asking for Admin Credentials

[reece_6701]

We have noticed that when we try to update Adobe Acrobat manually by: Clicking hamburger menu, clicking help, clicking check for updates; that it is always prompting for Administrator credentials. This used to not be an issue but it has become a company wide issue. We have some users with Adobe Acrobat Reader and the rest with Adobe Acrobat through Creative Cloud. Does anyone have advice or a fix for this? 

[Tariq Ahmad Dar]

Hi @reece_6701

Thanks for bringing this up. I understand how frustrating it can be when you’re unexpectedly prompted for admin credentials.

When Acrobat or Reader updates prompt for admin credentials, it’s typically because the application was installed system-wide (for all users) rather than for just the current user. System-wide installations require administrative privileges for updates to ensure security and consistency.

Here are a few things you can check:

1. Installation Type:

• If Acrobat/Reader was installed via an IT admin or for all users, the update will need admin credentials.

• You can try uninstalling and reinstalling Acrobat for the current user only (during installation, look for an option like “Install only for me”). If you have installation rights on the machine, you can also do that.

2. Use Adobe’s Customization Wizard (for IT-managed environments):

• If this is a work device, IT can configure silent updates without credential prompts. Check with your IT. 

3. Automatic Updates:

• Make sure you’re on the latest version and that automatic updates are enabled in Preferences > Updater. This helps minimize interruptions. If your setup was customized, the chances are likely that the option is disabled.

If you’re in a managed or enterprise environment, I recommend contacting your IT team, as they might have policies for updates.

Let us know what kind of setup you’re on (personal or work device, Windows or macOS), and we can guide you further.

~Tariq

[reece_6701]

Hi Tariq, 

I'm one of the IT support employees for the bank and we're all stuck on the issue. 

I will check with my coworker that installed Adobe on the computers of whether it was run by an admin account or the user's account. Adobe in the past few months has done a good job of updating each computer on its own but we'd like for users to have the ability to update it immediately if need be. 

These are all Windows 11 workstations. 

[Tariq Ahmad Dar]

Thanks so much for the added context. We totally understand how frustrating this can be, especially in a managed environment like a bank, where timely updates are critical. You’re absolutely on the right track by checking how Adobe Acrobat was originally installed.

Here’s what may help to move forward:

Check Installation Context

If Acrobat was installed using an admin account for all users, Windows will continue to require admin credentials for any updates that modify shared system files or services. That’s likely what’s triggering the prompt now.

Consider Enabling Silent Updates (if feasible)

If your organization uses tools like Adobe’s Customization Wizard, you can:

• Enable Silent Mode for updates

• Suppress admin prompts for future updates

• Pre-configure updates to install without user interaction

For more information on Customization and deployment, please check the Adobe Acrobat ETK (Enterprise toolkit): https://adobe.ly/3Ye677Y

Workaround - if User Updates are Needed Immediately

To allow users to initiate updates themselves:

• Ensure Acrobat is installed under a per-user context (rather than system-wide).

• Or, adjust UAC policies where allowed, to let trusted updates proceed without a prompt, though this may need discussion with your IT security team.

~Tariq

[LeoUpdaterX]

Hi Reece,

By design in Manual mode (Check for updates menu) Updater (or rather OS)  will ask for elevation using UAC prompt.

You can't change this and, if you disable UAC prompt, Updater will not have enough elevation, and update install will fail.

I do not believe you can install Reader or Acrobat per User.

You have to leave Updater do it's job in auto mode.

To increase check for updates frequency, you can change per product registry settings.

For example, for Reader change Check registry value from 72 hours (default) to lower value in the registry below-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\Adobe ARM\Legacy\Reader\{AC76BA86-7AD7-FFFF-7B44-AC0F074E4100}

Note that GUID part could be different depending on the exact Reader flavor.

Here is an example of the registry path for Acrobat-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\Adobe ARM\Legacy\Acrobat\{AC76BA86-1033-1033-7760-BC15014EA700}

[reece_6701]

Leo, 

I've seen the registry fix in another thread but we haven't had luck with that one. I changed it to check every 6 hours on a couple computers but those still haven't updated by themselves (made the change over a week ago). We have a few workstationsin our environment that are able to update themselves, as well as some workstations that don't require UAC to manually check for updates. We have looked into these devices to see if the install or the configurations are different, but no luck. 

[LeoUpdaterX]

To find out why some machines are not updated, you'd have to provide verbose Updater log files.

They must be verbose (they are not by default)

Please search these forums for iLogLevel registry value, follow instructions and upload AdobeARM.log files from User Temp and Windows Temp folders somewhere I can access them.