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Participant
February 21, 2024
Answered

Acrobat crashes when trying to edit a fillable-form PDF

  • February 21, 2024
  • 11 replies
  • 16415 views

I have a user that had been using Adobe Acrobat Reader on a new PC for about a year without issue. A month ago, this user's Adobe Acrobat would crash when attempting to fill in a fillable field in a given PDF. If you leave the PDF alone, it will stay open, but the moment you try to edit it, or fill in a fillable form, Adobe Acrobat crashes.

 

The user is on Windows 11 Pro and on Adobe Reader Version 2023.008.20533. I've tried uninstalling and re-installing Adobe Acrobat, removed all anti-virus, and run the Adobe cleaner/uninstall tool and the issue still persists. If anyone has any insight or advice it is greatly appreciated. I have protected view set to 'OFF' as well, as I noticed that suggestion in a lot of articles that dealt with Adobe Acrobat crashing. If there are log files available, let me know how to provide them or where they are typically stored on a PC. 

 

[moderator changed the subject for clarity: was Adobe crashes...; corrected Adobe to Acrobat in the text; sanitized the topics]

[Moderator moved the thread from Acrobat to the Acrobat Reader forum]

Correct answer Thorben38241278hz8t

I have the same issue but discovered something just now, that works at least as a semi-optimal fix.

If I open a file directly from the Windows Explorer, the issue occurs, Acrobat crashes as soon as I click a fillable field. If I however first open Acrobat manually and then open a document (either through the Acrobat UI or the Windows Explorer), I am able to fill the fields without problem.

Acrobat just always has to be open first for some reason

 

I hope this helps someone, at least until theres a fix for it

11 replies

Amal.
Community Manager
Community Manager
February 22, 2024

Hi @Marshall356087002d3n 

 

I hope you're doing well, though I'm sorry to hear about the issue you're experiencing.

 

Could you please clarify if this problem occurs with a specific PDF file or if it affects all PDFs? It might be helpful to try opening a different PDF to see if the issue persists. If the file is located on a shared network or drive, try downloading it locally onto your computer and then attempting to open it again.

 

Since you have the latest version installed, you might want to consider repairing the installation from the help menu (applicable to Windows only) to see if that resolves the issue.

 

Another step to try is resetting the Acrobat preferences. You can follow the instructions outlined in this link: How to Reset Acrobat Preference Settings to Default.

 

Additionally, reviewing the suggestions provided in this help page Acrobat DC Crashes on Windows OS might offer further insights into resolving the issue.

 

Let me know if any of these steps help in resolving the problem.

 

~Amal

Participant
February 22, 2024
Hello Amal, Thank you for your message. All of the PDF files are stored locally on her machine. No shared drives are involved. They reside primarily on her desktop, to be specific. We've opened about 12-15 different PDFs, and of those 12-15 there are about 5 that have fillable forms in them. If you immediately try to enter characters into one of the fillable fields then the entire Adobe program crashes. I know we've tried a repair already, but will try that as well as the reset of the preferences and will report back with what I find out. Thank you.