Hyperlinks not working in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

[Gardiner5E4D]

I used to be able to click on hyperlinks in Adobe Reader Acrobat DC and be taken to their location on the internet. I tried the Help and updated Adobe. That did not help. I also uninstalled and reinstalled it. Still no help. The only thing that changed was I uploaded InDesign. Since then, links in Adobe Acrobat Reader don't work. I have Windows 10.

I can open the links fine when I view PDFs in an email. Once I open in Adobe, they no longer work. Really frustrating. Any suggestions on how to remedy this?

[Amal.]

Hi Gardiner

Hope you are doing well and sorry for the trouble. As described the links in the PDF file is not working.

Would you mind sharing the steps you did to create this PDF file? Also, is this a behavior with a particular PDF file or with all the PDFs? Please try with a different PDF file and check .

You may check the settings of the application as well.

The feature can be enabled/disabled by selecting/deselecting the General > "Create links from URLs" option in the Preferences dialog. (Please note that the Preferences dialog is available in Acrobat Pro, Standard, and Reader desktop apps only.)

Regards

Amal

[Karina5FDF]

Having the same problem and the Create links from URLs is clicked but still not working.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

@Karina5FDF, are you talking about accessible hyperlinks in a tag tree <link>/<Link-OBJR>, or regular hyperlinks that are not for accessible PDFs?

[john5F9B]

I'm having a very similar problem on my Mac using Adobe Acrobat Pro. I am sending the PDF through iMessage to people and when I send a copy of the PDF it does not allow people to click the hyperlink, but when I send it as a collaborative PDF file it does allow them to click the hyperlink. I do not want to send collaborative files. I want it to work by just sending a copy of the PDF. This has never been an issue before. These new acrobat updates are very frustrating. 

[Amal.]

Hi @john5F9B 

Thank you for reaching out with your question about the hyperlink in the PDF file. I understand that you're experiencing some issues, and I'm here to help.

When people try to click on the hyperlink from the sent copy of the PDF file, there can be several reasons why they might encounter an error message. It could be due to a broken link, a security setting, or even an issue with the PDF itself. To better assist you, I'd like to gather some more information.

If possible, please share a screenshot of the error message that users are seeing when they click on the hyperlink. This will help me get a clearer picture of the problem.

Additionally, if you could provide a small video recording of your workflow when sending the copy of the PDF file, it would be very beneficial. This way, I can see the steps you're taking and identify any potential issues in the process.

Once I have this information, I'll do my best to assist you in resolving the problem and ensuring that the hyperlinks in your PDF files work smoothly.

Thank you for your cooperation, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns.

~Amal

[larry_1955]

I have exported a DOCX document containing internet links to a PDF document.  When I open the document in a browser, the links work.  When I open the document in Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 2025.001.20432 64 bit) in Windows 11, the links appear as blue underlined text and when I hover over the text, a "flyout" opend with the internet address contained in the link.  However, left clicking does not launch the external document that the link points to.

[AnandSri]

Hello @larry_1955!

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

I am following up to check if you are still experiencing the issue with the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader 25.001.20474 (Win) | 25.001.20476 (Mac), Apr 28, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again. 

When PDF links look right but don’t open in Reader DC, it usually comes down to security or link-handling settings. 

Allow external URLs in Trust Manager

1. Go to Menu → Preferences → Security (Enhanced).
2. Under “Manage Trusted Sites”, click Add Website and enter the domains you need (or toggle “Allow all URLs” on).
3. Click OK, restart Reader, and try your link again.

Check general and Internet preferences

• Menu → Preferences → General: make sure “Create links from URLs” is checked.

• Preferences → Internet: ensure “Allow fast web view” is enabled.

• Security (Enhanced): If Protected View is set to “All files,” change it to “Files from potentially unsafe locations” or temporarily turn it off.

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[larry_1955 · Accepted solution]

Hello AmandSri,

Thanks for the follow-up.  Unfortunately your suggestion to "Manage Trusted Sites" is unworkable as I would need to follow that work-around every time I would create a document containing a link.  Also, EVERYONE that receives my document would also have to go thru that process.  Similarly for your suggestion to check general and internet preferences.

Now that I notice that my Adobe Acrobat Reader has upgraded to version 2025.001.20432.20474 the problem seems to have been corrected.

Thanks,
Larry

[AnandSri]

Hi Larry!

I am glad that the new build has corrected the issue. Please feel free to reach out if you need any assistance.

Thanks for your time and cooperation on this.

Regards,

Anand Sri.

[JR Boulay]

[MOVED TO THE ACROBAT READER DISCUSSIONS]