Disable file-lock on Adobe Reader DC (Windows 10)?

[Klaus_at]

TLDR: I need to view and create annotations without blocking Dropbox or other third-party software from changing the PDF.

Under Windows, when Adobe Reader DC opens a file, it reserves exclusive write-access.

This is problematic in several ways:

• LaTeX documents cannot be recompiled while viewed in Adobe Reader DC
• It makes Adobe Reaser DC unsuitable for viewing work-in-progress plots saved as PDFs for use in pdfLaTeX.
• Dropbox will be unable to synchronize changes made on mobile while the document is opened (e.g. annotations created on an iPad).

Is it possible to prevent Adobe Reader DC from locking files and, ideally, to make it reload the file automatically if it was changed on disc? The latter would be required to avoid accidentially overwriting a file synced from another device with a previous state.

It most recently observed the problem with Adobe Reader DC 17.009.20044, but has existed already when I first used LaTeX almost 10 years ago.

The most common workaround is using SumatraPDF for use with LaTeX or other software that needs to overwrite a PDF frequently. 

However, I specifically need the ability for third-party software (Dropbox) to change a file, which I have (intentionally or not) left open after writing or viewing annotations. SumatraPDF doesn't allow creating annotations and has very limited support for viewing them (e.g. no "list of annotations" view). PDF-Xchange on the other hand also blocks the file.

[defaultfehsw4v0bhab]

Seems to be a nice diea but it doesn't work (on Windows 10).

[N J A]

The processes will run again after you restart the computer. A script like this would be better if it renamed the files for a more lasting effect. I have AcroCEF.exe and AdobeCollabSync.exe permanently renamed to AcroCEF-PEST.exe and AdobeCollabSync-PEST.exe, so that neither of them can be invoked by any Adobe app. I have also stopped Creative Cloud running automatically at Windows startup. These changes have no effect at all on my daily use of Acrobat, and on the rare occasions that Adobe does an update (which reinstates AcroCEF.exe and AdobeCollabSync.exe with new versions) I can clearly see this has happened and just rename the .exe files once again. Twenty-seconds effort gives me a few weeks unaffected by Adobe's badly-designed software ruining my workflow and wasting my time.

[defaulth2ptlq5r64dp]

I am doing similar things too - my Illustrator splash screen has Taylor Swift on it, and the png files do need to be overwritten again every time there is an update...

[matthiash14310712]

I mean, adobe is a small company making open source softwares. It's understandable that you have to tinker with file systems and BAT scripts in order to make proper use of their free tools

[ARPhotos_Ge]

"open source" ? - please tell me where to find the photoshop / lightroom / premiere / acrobat whatever source code.

If a company, that offers jobs in far more than 20 countries appears as a "small company" to you, then how do you call a company with only 1 location?

post pone your trolling to another thread, please.

[Gustaphe]

That was obviously sarcasm.

[ARPhotos_Ge]

Making these threads ridiculous by respective answers is another reason, why these threads don't influence Adobe's products.

[ReactionAtWork]

The reason that these forums don't influence Adobe products are multiple:
1) These forums are setup to let users help other users... and vent their anger without spoiling anyone's day at Adobe.

2) Bug reports to Adobe should be raised in the correct way, so they can go onto Adobe's historic backlog of ignored bug reports, like this 10+ year old file locking issue and the 4 year old blank "Save As" dialog issue - both laughably amateur bugs. You'll notice that Dov Isaacs conveniently ignores (as always) the fact that no other software has this nasty habit of locking files open after they have been closed. Even an amateur developer making their first experiments with file handling knows they must close a file properly, and should never write intrusive background processes that invisibly hold files open (like AdobeCollabSync / AcroCEF, whatever they are).

3) Adobe is the epitome of a creaky old software company. It flogs ancient Cash Cows like Photoshop, ties down its customers with the enforced CC payment system (and consequent fear of losing their files if they dare to leave "the system"), always puts profit before service, and frequently shouts down reasonable complaints or requests for improvements, like this one.

The only way is to "vote with your feet", stop using Adobe software, and move to the clean, fresh, and modern world of good value apps, such as the Affinity range (pay once) and free open source wonders such as Libre Office, GIMP, Inkscape, and Blender.

[matthiash14310712]

Please upvote those two bugs on adobe acrobat uservoice. If you don't have an account, you can quickly login with google/facebook.

If Community forums are useless, this is the place to act to see change. We need to go from 7-9 upvotes to hopefully 100+ and fix this decade old bug.

https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/39831907-bug-rea...

https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/40406260-acrobat...

[Swiped]

Hi, I voted, though it is not clear that this *means * an up vote,
actually.
I am referring to problems encountered using Microsoft Word documents on a
MacBookPro.
Also, the system did not recognize my password after years, and required
me to re-register!
Lisa

[Swiped]

No. That is twisted thinking. They are offering it to people who have no
ability to tinker with their software and they have no right to transfer my
Word documents into their system and keep them untranslatable. That is
tantamount to theft. They do not want my documents but their system holds
them hostage and inaccessible to me unless I pay to get them back. You
cannot excuse them so glibly. --
Lisa