How do I get Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to open PDF files in their own separate windows?

[Guest]

I find it interesting that as support for multiple monitors becomes more standard in operating systems, applications start forcing all associated documents into the same window such that one sometimes has to employ registry hacks to get the documents into separate windows to be able to easily compare side-by-side across the multiple monitors.

First it was Microsoft Excel... now it appears Adobe Reader is forcing the documents into a single window.

While Adobe Reader at least allows one to click on the "Window" menu and choose "New Window" to "move" a PDF to a separate window (annoyingly enough instead of actually moving the selected tab to the new window, it opens another copy, which requires one to still close the first copy in the original window). I'd prefer the default behavior to automatically open the documents in new windows when I double click on them in Windows Explorer to open them.  At least give me a preference option for this...

Does anyone have any (permanent) work arounds for this?  I know there are registry modifications for Excel (which I have implemented)... hopefully it is more straight forward for Adobe Reader.

Thanks,

Murray

[Guest · Accepted solution]

Hi ,

Please Navigate to Edit>Preferences>General>Uncheck the option"Open documents as new tabs in same window(requires restart).>Once unchecked please relaunch Reader.

You would not be able to see documents in separate windows.

Regards

Sukrit Dhingra

[mariyao40526469]

I don't have the option "open documents as new tabs in same window" under general and am unsure what to do.

[Мартин2861777268yg]

Found it:

Click the 3 horizontal lines button at top left

-> Disable new Acrobat Reader

-> Restart

-> Edit>Preferences>General

-> Uncheck the option "Open documents as new tabs in the same window (requires relaunch)"

-> Restart

-> Like this comment, enjoy

[AnandSri]

Hi @Мартин2861777268yg 

I hope you are doing well.

We appreciate your valuable feedback! We're always looking for ways to improve Acrobat, and we appreciate the time and effort you have taken to share your feedback.  

  

We acknowledge that the new Acrobat represents a notable change; however, we hope that as you get familiar with the new interface, you will be able to be more productive & get more out of Acrobat.

We are actively working on all the currently unavailable features, such as 'open cross-document links in the same window' and customizing these preferences. We will address them with the highest priority.

As you get more comfortable with the new interface, please contact us with specific questions on tools, features, or functionalities. We're happy to provide helpful resources and answers to your questions.

If your critical workflows are impacted, you can switch to the old UI from the "Menu" on the top left corner of  Windows OS and View Menu on MacOS. We will follow up with a detailed community-featured post, guiding you to familiarise yourself with the new interface and regular updates on upcoming changes.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[elainep91331071]

I don't have the option "open documents as new tabs in same window" under general. May I know where else I can find this option?

[Guest]

Not sure how many times I looked at that screen and missed that option...  THANK YOU!!

[elainep91331071]

I don't have the option "open documents as new tabs in same window" under general. May I know where else I can find this option?

[joemusco]

Thank you so much! This eliminated a lot of frustration!!

[Lalanda]

I am using Adobe Acrobat DC and I do not have that option. How can I fix this?

[Bernd Alheit]

What can you see in the preferences?

[bhawnaarora · Accepted solution]

Dear User,

We are delighted to inform you that we have extended support for opening multiple PDF files in separate windows (SDI - Single Document Interface Mode) in the latest updates of Acrobat.

To use this preference, simply go to Preferences > General > Open documents as new tabs in the same window and disable this. Relaunch Acrobat and open the documents, they will open in individual window instances (reference image attached for navigation to the preference)

We look forward to receiving your feedback and fostering seamless integration.

Thanks,

Bhawna.