Turn off all autocomplete and autosuggestions in Fill & Sign mode

[michaeljsalo]

I am using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 2023.003.20269 on Windows 11.

I am entering data into documents in Fill & Sign mode.  As I complete the forms, the software is auto-suggesting data values that have previously been entered.  The data is private medical information that I do not want to save or suggest.

I do not want any autofill feature to be active at all.  Accordingly I went into Preferences -> Forms and set 'AutoComplete' to Off.

In another thread, I learned there is a separate featured called 'auto-suggest.'  I logged in to acrobat.adobe.com, went into Settings, clicked the checkbox to set 'Auto-suggestions' to off, and clicked  the button to also 'Clear suggestions.'

I have updated and restarted the Acrobat software.

Fill & Sign continues to exhibit the exact same behavior.  It is auto-populating form fields with private medical information.  I consider this a violation of expected behavior and of data privacy.

What is the difference between auto-complete and auto-suggest?  Why should users have to turn such a similar feature off in two places, one of which is not accessible in the software?  Why are neither of these settings being honored?  Is there a third type of auto-populate and a third setting somewhere?

Thanks for any help and clarifications.

[Meenakshi Negi]

Hi michaeljsalo,

Thank you for reaching out.

This seems to be weird behavior. Did you check if the settings were disabled when you reinstalled the application?

Please try reinstalling using the following steps:

- Remove the application and run the cleaner tool (https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/Labs/cleaner.html).
- Reboot the machine
- Install Adobe Acrobat Reader from the following page: https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/. 

If you experience the same behavior, please share the screenshot of the settings on which you make changes.

Share the screen recording while filling up the form. We will get this checked.

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

[Haley32209619ep6o]

Any chance this was confirmed to work? I've had no luck getting the autofill to stop, I have a document that requires three different sets of initals and the stupid thing just overrides all three boxes with whatever field was last edited and I'm ready to just print and fax at this point. 

[Bernd Alheit]

This is a other issue. 

[drew sb38223813]

I have a resolution!!  This will clear the autosuggest and autocomplete features of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat Pro/DC.

You need to do what michaeljsalo has done above: Login to Adobe online, go to setting and uncheck the auto suggestions/ complete boxes.

Now here's what makes the difference... After doing the above THEN, you need to sign out of Adobe in the application (if you are signed in) and then delete three files.  The culprits are 3 files named "acrobat_fss_signature_initials", "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsi" and "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsk" located in "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security". Deleting them flushes the Fill and Sign cache. Just copy and paste "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security" (without quotes) into your file explorer address bar (i.e., open a random folder and put that in the address bar at the top)  

TL; DR: Do what michaeljsalo said first, then logout of the Adobe Application on your computer, then delete  "acrobat_fss_signature_initials", "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsi" and "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsk" located in "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security".

This should work for all versions. YOU MUST be signed out and close the application before you delete the files.  You must do the steps in order (but you get unlimited tries!)

[wvheerden]

I'm havoing the same issue. A year later, these files no longer exist in the "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security" directory. There are the files "reader_fss_signature_initials", "reader_fss_signature_initialsi", and "reader_fss_signature_initialsk" in the directory, which I've deleted. This results in completion suggestions being turned off for a while, but they return again some time later without a restart of Acrobat Reader or any changes to the autocomplete/autosuggest options. Any other suggestions? It's honestly maddening how buggy Acrobat Reader is...

[drewb49294804]

They were still located in the same directory for me (Windows 11, Adobe Acrobat Pro), more specfically, C:\users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security 

What version of Windows and Adobe do you have? Did you sign out of Adobe BEFORE deleting them and did you make sure to uncheck the options on the Adobe website.  I will also trouble shoot other possibilities here.

[Jack26423878low5]

Hi - was this resolved? I am experiencing the same issue and cannot get rid of the auto-suggest.

[drew sb38223813]

I have a resolution!!  This will clear the autosuggest and autocomplete features of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat Pro/DC.

You need to do what michaeljsalo has done above: Login to Adobe online, go to setting and uncheck the auto suggestions/ complete boxes.

Now here's what makes the difference... After doing the above THEN, you need to sign out of Adobe in the application (if you are signed in) and then delete three files.  The culprits are 3 files named "acrobat_fss_signature_initials", "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsi" and "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsk" located in "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security". Deleting them flushes the Fill and Sign cache. Just copy and paste "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security" (without quotes) into your file explorer address bar (i.e., open a random folder and put that in the address bar at the top)  

TL; DR: Do what michaeljsalo said first, then logout of the Adobe Application on your computer, then delete  "acrobat_fss_signature_initials", "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsi" and "acrobat_fss_signature_initialsk" located in "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security".

This should work for all versions. YOU MUST be signed out and close the application before you delete the files.  You must do the steps in order (but you get unlimited tries!)

[Max347205771l1h]

I have tried this as well but am unable to locate "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security" folder/files. Where are these located so I amy attempt to delete them?

Thnks!

[drew sb38223813]

Open your Documents folder.  Click on address bar at the top (where it says "Documents" and then Copy and Paste "%appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security" into the address bar of your folders.  If it gives you an error, make sure you have administrative privledges on the computer.  If you do have privledges (that is, it is not a work computer or owned by someone else) we'll keep trying to figure it out.

[Max347205771l1h]

Thanks Drew!  I am on my own personal 14" Nov 2023 macbook pro running OS Sonoma 14.2.1 and I have tried searching for %appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\Security in the documents folder and finder windows to no avail. I have alos sifted through all Adobe folders in the utilities folder and am still unable to locate said files.

I Appreciate all suggestions

[drew sb38223813]

Ohhh that's the issue. This thead is for Windows 11 (check the original question).   That address in windows would take you right to the folder.  I hate to leave you hanging, but Mac is a different beast, you may have to open up a new thread or seek help from Adobe.

[Allen367111819la8]

Thank you! I resolved mine in a similar way.  Deleting the the acrobat_fss_signiature files removes the history, I NEVER had auto-fill enabled!   Although the GUI says Autofill is (and has been) turned off, Acrobat it still stores any entries I make in the SECURITY/ folder with no way to Edit or delete other than manually removing the files!

Discussion: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/delete-auto-fill-data-in-acrobat/m-p/14553250#M45...

[avTronic]

Why is this so difficult?? I have the same iisue with privacy concerns BUT the auto suggest is so atni-productive. Everytime I go to write something iin a field that it has stored suggestions's it hangs up for sometimes 10/15 seconds. Seems like it's going out to the net to find this info which is even more worrisome. This should be an option to disable right in the darn auto suggest window. I have tons of fields to enter data in one PDF on One project and this slows me way down. Please fix this by either making this a turned off by default or an easy way to turn off in Acrobat. None of this "making changes, logging out and in" has worked and it is such a waste of time. Thiis is high end business software that I pay monthly for but this is getting so rediculous that I may need to cancel this and go with a free editor.

[Caressa37073489jmp5]

This Is The Fix Adobe Tech Support Just Gave Me.

 

[GreenBeanCounter]

I've been an accountant for 30 years, and this may be the most annoying software "feature" I've ever seen. Income is lost because annotating documents takes far longer than it should, the client won't and shouldn't have to pay for the extra time, so I have to write off the time to firm admin and lose money. That this is still an issue over a year after this thread was created is beyond my comprehension. Every point made in the OP is valid.

[GreenBeanCounter]

To make it even more annoying when using the Type Text tool in the mini-toolbar, as the unhelpful list of what's been typed in text boxes so far grows, Acrobat will jerk the page where you start typing such that the text box you're typing in is no longer visible. You have figure out where you now suddenly are in the document, and scoll in whatever direction is needed to go find the text box the cursor is in again. Who in their right mind would ever think that's helpful?

[GreenBeanCounter]

*scroll

The point being Acrobat jerks the page to make room for the unhelpful list of previously typed text, fails to display that list while trying to make room for it, an hides the text box you're typing in from the visible area of the document in the process.