How to fix Adobe Acrobat not opening PDF files on Windows

If Adobe Acrobat will not open a Portable Document Format (PDF) file on Windows, first confirm the problem affects more than one file, then work through the steps below in order. The most common fixes are ending leftover Adobe processes, running Adobe Acrobat as an administrator, and repairing or updating Adobe Acrobat.

First checks

• Try opening a different PDF file. If only one file fails, download that file again from its original source.
• If files in one folder fail, copy a file to a folder with a short, simple name and no special characters, then open the file from there.

Steps to close leftover Adobe processes

1. Right-click the Windows Start button, then click Task Manager.
2. Find each process with Adobe Acrobat in the name.
3. Right-click each Adobe Acrobat process, then click End task.
4. Open the PDF file again in Adobe Acrobat.

Steps to run Adobe Acrobat as an administrator

1. Right-click the Adobe Acrobat icon, then click Run as administrator.
2. Open the PDF file again.

To always run Adobe Acrobat as an administrator, use these steps.

1. Right-click the Adobe Acrobat shortcut, then click Properties.
2. Click the Shortcut tab.
3. Click Advanced.
4. Check Run as administrator, then click OK.
5. Click OK again to close Properties.

Steps to repair Adobe Acrobat

1. Open Adobe Acrobat.
2. Click the Help menu.
3. Click Repair Installation.
4. Open the PDF file again after the repair finishes.

Steps to update Adobe Acrobat

1. Open Adobe Acrobat.
2. Click the Help menu.
3. Click Check for Updates.
4. Install any available update, then open the PDF file again.

Steps to reinstall Adobe Acrobat

1. Open Control Panel, then click Programs and Features.
2. Right-click Adobe Acrobat, then click Uninstall.
3. Download the current version of Adobe Acrobat from the official Adobe website at https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
4. Install Adobe Acrobat, then open the PDF file again.

Steps to fix plug-in problems

Use these steps if you see an "unexpected error initializing the plug-in" message, or if PDF files fail to open in a remote desktop or terminal server that uses CCH Engagement.

1. Restart Adobe Acrobat first, then open the PDF file again.
2. If the problem continues, ask IT support to remove the CCH PFX plug-in from the Adobe plug-ins folder and test again.

Steps to run a malware scan

1. Click the Windows Start button, then type Windows Security.
2. Open Windows Security.
3. Click Virus and threat protection.
4. Click Scan options, select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan), then click Scan now.
5. Open the PDF file again after the scan finishes.

If the steps don't work

Some fixes, such as changing Adobe security settings or the Windows Registry, can affect the security of your computer. If the PDF file still will not open, contact IT support for help instead of changing these settings yourself.