Adobe Acrobat Reader Not Working on Mac

On your Mac, you can use Preview to view and annotate PDF documents. However, some users may prefer to use Adobe Acrobat Reader as it may offer more functionalities. Adobe offers two versions: Adobe Acrobat Reader, this is the free edition, and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

In this article, I explain what you can do to fix your Adobe Acrobat problem on your Mac.

Basic Adobe acrobat troubleshooting

Please try these first. After trying each step, open Adobe to see if you can view your PDF.

• If Adobe Acrobat Reader is unresponsive, force-quit it and then try.
• Restart your Mac.
• Make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet.
• Make sure that your Mac is running the latest version of macOS. Go to System Preferences > Software Update to check, and if there is an update available, update your device.
• Make sure that you are using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat. Here is how:
  • Open Adobe Reader or Acrobat.
  • And go to Help > Check for Updates.

  

  • Delete your preference files and try again. Here is how:
    • Quit Adobe Acrobat if it is running.
    • Open the Library folder (Go to the Finder, press and hold the Option key and click Go > Library).
    • Open the Preferences folder.
    • Find the “com.adobe.Reader.plist” file.
    • Delete this file (you can move it to your desktop).
    • Restart your Mac.
    • If this does not fix your problem, you can put the preference files back.

    Remove and reinstall

    If the above tips do not help you fix this problem, you can completely remove the app from your Mac and then reinstall it. This will probably fix your problem. Follow these steps:

    • To remove the app, you can use the AcroCleaner. The AcroCleaner is an Adobe product that can be used to remove a standalone installation of Reader or Acrobat. This will remove everything including related preference or settings files. Here is how:
      • Quit Adobe if it is running. Then go to Finder > Applications and drag the Adobe icon to the Trash.
      • Download the AcroCleaner (follow this link).
      • Double click the AdobeAcroCleanerTool.dmg and click the AcroCleanerTool.app. And follow the onscreen instructions.
      • After you are done, restart your Mac.
      • Then download the Adobe app again.

      Related articles:

      • Adobe’s Support for Flash Player Will End: What Does This Mean for Mac Users?
      • How To Disable Update Adobe Flash Player Notifications
      • PDF Won’t Open: “Please Wait…” Message, How To Open
      • How To Uninstall Flash Player On Mac

      Dr. Serhat Kurt worked as a Senior Technology Director specializing in Apple solutions for small and medium-sized educational institutions. He holds a doctoral degree (or doctorate) from the University of Illinois at Urbana / Champaign and a master’s degree from Purdue University. He is a former faculty member. Here is his LinkedIn profile and Google Scholar profile. Email Serhat Kurt.