Why is Adobe Acrobat so useless?

[AndMcT]

Why can't adobe acrobat handle even the simplest of small PDF files?

It is crashing handling a 13 page mainly text document.

Google Chrome can open it more quickly and more reliably than Acrobat.

Why is it that a free software like Chrome is more reliable and faster than Acrobat which claims to be the market leader???

Please explain.

[AnandSri]

Hello!

I hope you are doing well, and we apologize for the trouble you had with Acrobat.

Does the app run slowly with all PDFs, or only with a specific set? Does this PDF include images or drawings? Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 25.001.2043x Optional update, Mar 19, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and check. For more information, see this: https://adobe.ly/441GrPp

Try resetting the app preferences and see if it is still slow while opening the PDFs. For testing purposes, Disable Protected Mode. Protected Mode can cause slowness. Go to Menu (Windows)/Acrobat(Mac)>Preferences> Security (Enhanced)>Uncheck "Enable Protected Mode at startup." Click Ok, restart the app and the machine and check. Please enable the security settings after the test.

If it is specific to one PDF, would it be possible to share the file with us for testing?

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[nick_7698]

Acrobat has become unusable in recent years. I just canceled my subscription and switched to Revu Blue. We hold multiple Pro accounts and spend thousands of dollars annually on this disappointing product. Acrobat should be ashamed of what it has done to what was once a great tool. I’ve spent hours diagnosing issues and adjusting settings, as well as registering, installing, and reinstalling the software, yet it still crashes and freezes when scrolling through a 20-page document. Enough is enough. Our company will no longer support this subpar product. It’s unfortunate that we were charged for another year just four days ago; I wish we had made this decision sooner.

[easygoing_navigator9679]

The standard non-Pro Adobe Acrobat Reader is officially the most useless application for doing anything with PDFs. I shouldn't have to pay for a Pro license just spilt a PDF document, or rotate it, or do pretty much anything other than just display it. 

But that's all good because Adobe has all this unwanted AI assistant features. 

Adobe charging for very basic actions with PDFs is like car manufacturers who try to charge you for using their own in-house navigation when it's free (and superior) using CarPlay or Android Auto. Like who are you fooling? There's a myriad of free PDF services out there, but then that means I have to upload sensitive data to strange websites.