Can different users edit a single PDF simultaneously?

[Guest]

Hi all! A client of mine wants to edit a large PDF document as a team simultaneously from different computers. I have told them about Share for Comments, but I think they are looking for something that is more of a Google-Docs style experience where they can see everyone's edits at the same time. They're pretty old-school, so I still get sticky notes with all of their text edits. I doubt they would go for buying and learning new software to do this with their corporate standards for internet safety. If this isn't a thing yet, I'd love to request it for one of the next iterations of Adobe Acrobat!

[try67]

No, PDF files were not built to be edited in such a way. You can use the Review Tracker, though, which is a more advanced way of collecting comment from different users and combining them into a single file.

[Dov Isaacs · Accepted solution]

A few issues:

(1)     PDF is essentially a final form file format and not a source file format such as an InDesign or Word file might be. It typically does not have the context of all the graphic elements in it. If you have extensive editing to do either by one or a number of contributors, go back to the source document to edit. Acrobat's editing capabilities are more for minor touch-ups (such as fixing a mistaken price or a date) as opposed to making massive text changes and maintaining formatting and style.

(2)     Conceivably, one could write an editor that would allow such simultaneous editing, although it would be exceptionally complex. However, the restrictions and reality of (1) above would make such an undertaking very costly and limited in functionality.

You certainly can submit a feature request at Acrobat for Windows and Mac: Top (2700 ideas) – Share your feedback on Acrobat DC but I seriously doubt that you will see such a feature implemented (and definitely not in “one of the next iterations of Adobe Acrobat!”

          - Dov

[Oliver25024128ojp0]

Generic "no it doesn't work for technical reasons" like this aren't helpful. If the file is stored on the cloud you can darn well make it work somehow. Remember how Kodak stuck to film and went broke? Yeah, that.

[Test Screen Name]

My 10 cents worth: what Google docs does, of course, is keep your document at Google. You never get to actually have the document like you have a PDF.

So, Google lets multiple computers connect up, and lets them edit, and when the other computers next look at the file (maybe a second later) they will get the changed file. This works quite nicely but only because they are simple text documents. If they were page layouts people might find it baffling.

Anyway, as we've noted PDF editing is itself very limited; this is because PDF is just not made for editing; it was made to be final. There is some editing capability, but it's always a strain.

Now, what COULD work?

1. Sell them Google Docs as exactly what they need. They can edit simultaneously, and when the download it, they have a PDF. You and I know this isn't PDF editing, but maybe it meets their business needs better than a real PDF editor would.

2. If the model is that you are the designer and they want to contribute edits, a new feature in InDesign CC 2019 might be just what you need. A PDF can be marked up (STILL NOT MULTI-USER) and InDesign can import the mark up for you to review. (NB while often end users feel that what they need is the ability to edit the actual design, it's rarely what is really needed. Usually they need a way to communicate clearly and easily with the designer).