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2

Stop converting word to pdf

New Here ,
May 15, 2021 May 15, 2021

Why dose Adobe change all my word document to pdf. How do I stop this please 

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1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
May 15, 2021 May 15, 2021

There is absolutely nothing that Adobe (and I assume you mean the Acrobat Reader Mobile or any other Adobe software installed on your mobile device) does to automatically convert Word documents to PDF files.

 

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)

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May 15, 2021 May 15, 2021

There is absolutely nothing that Adobe (and I assume you mean the Acrobat Reader Mobile or any other Adobe software installed on your mobile device) does to automatically convert Word documents to PDF files.

 

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
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Community Beginner ,
Dec 07, 2022 Dec 07, 2022

I'm having the same issue.  A Word doc sent via email keeps downloading as Adobe Acrobat.  Super frustrating.  I did find a workaround:pdf word.jpg

 

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Adobe Employee ,
Dec 07, 2022 Dec 07, 2022

Hi @JResk,

 

Hope you are doing well.

 

The issue that you are referring to, has nothing to do with Adobe but just the fact that the default application to open Word files on your system has been selected as Acrobat Reader.

 

What you can do is, right click on the file-> click on properties-> click change on the button where it says "Opens With"-> select Microsoft word-> click Apply-> Click OK. 

 

This should work for all the word files available on your system.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Souvik.

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New Here ,
Oct 09, 2023 Oct 09, 2023

I can't access this as the word file goes into adobe and then I'm asked to do a free trial of adobe pdf converter which I don't want I want to open my word docs in word and my pdfs in pdf.

 

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Adobe Employee ,
Oct 09, 2023 Oct 09, 2023

Hi @EMP53,

 

Sorry for your experience.

 

It looks like an issue where the default applicaiton to open Word files is switched to Acrobat. 

 

Please try the steps shared above (if on Windows) or check the below link:

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/6271667?hl=en

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Souvik

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New Here ,
Jun 14, 2024 Jun 14, 2024
Great answer, helpful.  Thank you.
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Adobe Employee ,
Jun 17, 2024 Jun 17, 2024

Hi @christine38055749hi5f,

 

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for writing in!

 

If the answer isn't helpful, please let us know the platform you are referring to, for our better understanding and assistance.


-Souvik

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New Here ,
Dec 15, 2024 Dec 15, 2024

Thanks for the tip, Oh why didn't I check in here earlier !

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New Here ,
Jun 14, 2024 Jun 14, 2024

That was not helpful.   Thank goodness other people assisted, kindly simply answered the question. 

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New Here ,
Mar 22, 2025 Mar 22, 2025

You could be right, JResk and Dov Isacs.

The issue is, especially while working on mobiles, everytime a dialogue box appears asking us to choose the doftware we open with and just once or always; even accidental touching of  'always' causes the problem.

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New Here ,
Sep 02, 2025 Sep 02, 2025

Dear Adobe Support,

For the past three months, I’ve been experiencing an ongoing issue that is interfering with my workflow. Every time I create or open a Word document, it automatically converts to a PDF without me requesting it.

Here’s what happens:

  • I open or save a Word file (.docx), and instead of staying as a Word document, it immediately starts converting to a PDF.

  • Once it becomes a PDF, opening it takes 10 seconds or longer, with pop-ups like “Creating Adobe PDF” and “Please wait, reading Adobe PDF” (see attached screenshots).

  • I can no longer edit the document in Word unless I manually close it, reopen it in Word, and let it re-convert from PDF back to Word. This was never the case before.

This is frustrating and inefficient. I used to be able to open, edit, and save Word documents normally. PDFs were only created when I chose to export or save as PDF. Now it seems like Adobe is forcing the PDF format on every Word file I touch.

What I would like:

  • Stop Word documents from automatically converting to PDF.

  • Restore the original behavior where I can use Word freely and only create PDFs when I intentionally choose to.

Please let me know how to disable this automatic conversion. I suspect a setting may have changed or an Adobe integration is overriding my default file behavior, but I haven’t made any changes myself.

Thank you,

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Adobe Employee ,
Sep 02, 2025 Sep 02, 2025

Hi @Michelle2374336595u9,

 

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for your experience with using Acrobat Reader Mobile.

 

From the description, it seems more like an accidental shift of the default application for files than an issue with Acrobat.

 

If your device has gone through a recent software update, there is a high chance of an accidental click to the "Always" button for Acrobat when you tried to open a Word file.

This happens to the best of us, and can be really frustrating.

 

You might want to try the steps below to reset or change the function:

https://adobe.ly/4p9AKr2

 

Let me know if this helps. 


Regards,
Souvik.

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New Here ,
Sep 02, 2025 Sep 02, 2025
Thanks, Mr Souvik, for your advice on automatic conversion of Word to PDF.
I will certainly follow it to see if it can be stopped.
But my very serious concern with Adobe is the automatic upload to cloud of
any pdf that is opened and any scan.
This is highly objectionable. I, like most, do not have time to go through
my Adobe cloud storage to keep cleaning it. In fact most of the pdf files
that I receive and open are not required to be kept.
I would highly appreciate you if you can help me with how I can stop Adobe
from automatically uploading my files, and how I can decide uploading to my
Adobe cloud storage.
Thanks in advance.
Regards
S. Seshadri
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Adobe Employee ,
Sep 03, 2025 Sep 03, 2025
LATEST

Thanks, @Sesh28, for the response.

 

By default, Acrobat does not upload PDF files saved on internal storage to the cloud. 

 

If you are using tools like Create PDF or Convert to PDF, then the files are uploaded since Acrobat uses online servers to convert or create your files.

That said, if the Create PDF feature is used, the original file is not uploaded; instead, the newly created file is stored on the cloud.

 

If you are simply using tools like annotations or Edit PDF, the files are kept intact at their original location without any modifications.

 

Please let me know if you have any further questions.


Regards,
Souvik.

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New Here ,
Aug 09, 2023 Aug 09, 2023

WHY DOES MICROSOFT CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR  LIVES MORE DIFFICULT. DO THEY REALLY NEED TO CHANGE MY WORD DOCS TO A PDF WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW OR SPEND AND HOUR TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. IS BILL GATES SENDING ME A CHECK FOR MY TIME??????

 

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New Here ,
Sep 19, 2023 Sep 19, 2023

I can.t convert following the process you recomonded.  When I clck changeand word, it will not convert

it will not change.

 

 

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