Free Version of Adobe keeps asking for payment to subscribe for the upgrade

[ivana38715623v1md]

I downloaded Adobe Acrobat Reader -  the free version.  Everytime I open a pdf file, a pop up comes up asking me to subscribe to the free trail and to buy now for the Adobe Pro.  When I close out the pop up, it shuts down the Adobe Reader as well.  How can I just use the free version?   Thank you 

[creative explorer]

@ivana38715623v1md  curious when you downloaded the Acrobat Reader, did you download from Adobe's official website and not some third party website 'spoofing' Adobe site? It shouldn't be like that.

https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/pdf-reader.html

[Mark38723834kpdb]

Looks like you have downloaded the free trial of the Adobe Acrobat instead of the Acrobat Reader. I am using the Reader too, as I could not use the Adobe Acrobat anymore, which I bought, and the Acrobat Reader will still nag you into subscribing to the paid version... often.

Good advice from the other poster to only trust the official website, but I guess you already done this.

[JR Boulay]

[MOVED TO THE ACROBAT READER DISCUSSIONS]

[Flawless_Genie5C10]

OMGGG!!! Facing the same nightmare. Randomly this afternoon it updated. And for last 4 hours I have been trying to do everything which I could think of. And I am at work and couldn't do sh-t since then. Uninstall and download, install but nothing is working.... I am using Macbook Pro 2023 btw. 

[AnandSri]

Hello @Flawless_Genie5C10

I hope you are doing well, and thank you for reaching out. We're sorry for the trouble you had.

Please use the Acrobat Cleaner tool to remove the installed app, then reboot the machine, and download the Acrobat Reader from the direct link. Once the setup is downloaded, right-click on it and select Run as Administrator. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation, and then sign in with your Adobe ID (email address).

Please let us know if you encounter any issues.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[Merry_parent6597]

Hello AnandSri,

I followed these instructions and it worked for the first PDF I opened. I was able to select Adobe Reader and it gave me no trouble. However, after closing this file and opening a different one, it defaulted back to Adobe Acrobat and asks me to request access from my admin to buy this app. Then, when I close the pop-up it, shuts down the program.  Any suggestions on how to proceed? This is severely impairing my work.

Thanks!

[AnandSri]

Hello @Merry_parent6597

I hope you are doing well, and I am sorry for the delayed response.

For testing purposes, please create a test user profile with full admin rights and verify the workflow using the latest version of Acrobat Reader: 25.001.20813. Planned update: October 17, 2025. If the issue continues, please collect the logs and share them with us for further investigation. To collect the logs, download and run the Log Collector tool. Ensure that you select all log options and attempt to reproduce the issue. After that, close the Log Collector tool; it will generate the logs along with a log ID. Please share this log ID with us. 

Thanks,

Anand Sri.