Is there a safe mode for Adobe Reader

[wuman123]

I want my Adobe Reader run in a safe mode, which does nothing more than just open the document in plain text mode.

Specifically, I want:

  1. Don't run any script in pdf file. (I think this can be done by Edit -> Preferences -> JavaScript  -> uncheck Eable Acrobat JavaScript checkbox)

  2. Don't navigate to any link in pdf file. Just consider them as plain text.

  3. Disable 3D and Multimdia features

  4. Disable Forms

  5. Don't execute anything embed in pdf file

The reason for this is I get some pdf files which I can't trust owner of these files. Even after antivirus scan, I am still not comfortable enough to open these pdf files by Adobe Reader in normal mode with above features enabled.

Can Adobe Reader be configured that way? Is there any alternative software for my requirement?

[George_Johnson]

You can remove the plug-ins from Reader's plug-ins folder. You can test this out without actually removing them by holding down the Shift key while launching Reader. Everything you mention should be disabled, but test to make sure.

[wuman123]

Thanks George. This is very useful, and it works.

Is it possible that I use cmd line parameter to disable plug-ins, such as "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe disablePlugins".

Thanks,

Wu Qi

[George_Johnson]

No, there's no command line parameter for that.

[Kevin27574640h3dk]

The question was if there was a safe mode for Adobe reader.
It's frustrating for people who are searching for the answer to this question, and only finding irrelevant answers.
I need to know how to launch Adobe Reader in safe mode, not due to plugins. 

[S. S]

Hi @Kevin27574640h3dk,

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for writing in!

I do not see a single step to achieve this feat. However, you can try setting up certain registry keys to get this.

Below are some keys listed which you can copy on your notepad and save as a ".reg" file and import to your registry:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\JSPrefs]
"bEnableJS"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\Security\TrustManager]
"iFileAttachmentPerms"=dword:00000002
"bAllowOpenFile"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\Multimedia Trust]
"bAllowMedia"=dword:00000000
"bAllowFlash"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\3D]
"bEnable3DContent"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\Privileged]
"bProtectedMode"=dword:00000001
"bEnhancedSecurityStandalone"=dword:00000001
"bEnhancedSecurityInBrowser"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\Security]
"iProtectedView"=dword:00000002

P.S. Please find below what the above codes signify:

JSPrefs : Disable JavaScript

iFileAttachmentPerms : Block launching of external applications

bAllowOpenFile : Disallow file launch from PDF

bAllowMedia : Disables Multimedia files playing

bAllowFlash : Disables media requiring flash player support

bEnable3DContent : Disables rendering of files that have 3D content

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Souvik.

[Ruleta_Aleatoria2448]

:white_heavy_check_mark: What Adobe Reader Can Do

1. Disable JavaScript
   :white_heavy_check_mark: As you said, go to:
   Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck "Enable Acrobat JavaScript"

2. Disable Multimedia, 3D, and Embedded Content
   :white_heavy_check_mark: Go to:
   Edit > Preferences > Multimedia Trust (Legacy)

   • Set all options to "Never" or uncheck all autoplay features.

   Also under:
   3D & Multimedia > Uncheck "Enable playing of 3D content"

3. Disable Forms
   :prohibited: Adobe Reader does not offer a setting to disable form field rendering completely, though JavaScript on forms is disabled if you've turned off JS.

4. Prevent Link Navigation
   :prohibited: Adobe Reader does not provide a built-in setting to disable links; however, it may prompt before opening external URLs.

5. Disable Embedded Executables / Attachments
   :white_heavy_check_mark: Under
   Edit > Preferences > Trust Manager

   • Uncheck "Allow opening of non-PDF file attachments with external applications"

6. Enable Protected Mode (Sandboxing)
   :white_heavy_check_mark: Adobe Reader’s Protected Mode (on by default) sandboxes file activity:
   Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced)

   • Ensure Protected Mode at startup is enabled

   • Also enable Enhanced Security

---

:cross_mark: Limitations of Adobe Reader

• It will still render the layout of the PDF, including forms, links, and images.

• It cannot switch to a "plain text only" mode natively.

• It does not allow completely ignoring links or rendering them as just text.

---

:white_heavy_check_mark: Alternatives That Fit Your Needs

If your goal is to view PDF content as plain text without any risk, you're better off using PDF viewers or tools that render only raw content, such as:

1. MuPDF / mutool (Open Source)

• Extremely lightweight

• No scripting, no media support

• mutool draw -F text file.pdf converts to plain text

• Safe for potentially malicious PDFs

2. PDF.js (used in Firefox)

• Open-source, JavaScript-based viewer

• Used in Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer

• Does not run JavaScript inside PDFs

3. QPDF + Text Conversion

• qpdf --qdf --object-streams=disable file.pdf output.qdf — safe for inspecting internal structure

• Can be paired with pdftotext to extract readable content without rendering

4. Evince (Linux) / Okular (Linux/KDE)

• Tend to support fewer advanced features like JavaScript and embedded media

• Still render layout and links, though

---

:white_heavy_check_mark: Safest Workflow

If you're truly security-conscious:

1. Use a Linux VM or sandboxed environment

2. Run tools like pdftotext, mutool draw, or qpdf to extract and view only the textual content

3. Never open the file in a GUI reader unless needed, and only in sandbox mode