Adobe Acrobat Reader DC has stopped working in Windows 11/10

If Adobe PDF Reader is not working when opening PDF files in Windows 11/10, this post suggests a few things you can do to fix the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC has stopped working problem.

Adobe Reader not working

PDF (Portable Document Format) has become an essential part of the tech sphere, making it a significant tool for managing any important document. Adobe  Reader or Acrobat is the most commonly used application software in Windows to view, create and manage files in Portable Document Format (PDF).  While users are upgrading their computers from Windows 7/8 to Windows 11/10, many face problems opening PDF file from their system running Windows 11/10. You might have come across an instance wherein; you end up with no response from Adobe Reader when you try to open a PDF file.

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC has stopped working

Opening a PDF file will take you to a busy icon for a few seconds and then does nothing. It is even more bizarre as Adobe Reader or Acrobat does not show any error code or any error information. To resolve the problem,  you may want to make a few changes in the settings, or maybe you need to download the newer version update of Adobe Reader. It is also quite possible that the Adobe Reader or Acrobat you are using could be damaged, which may hinder the smooth execution of the function. The following solutions will present you the ways to fix this Adobe Acrobat Reader DC has stopped working issue.

1] Change the settings in Adobe Reader

Open Adobe Reader and click on Edit option available on the menu.

Click on the Preference in the Edit menu.

Select Security Enhances under ‘Categories’  in the new Preference window.

Disable  the “Protected Mode at startup” by unticking the box under the Sandbox Protection

Check the “Enable Enhanced Security ” option and Close.

2] Repair Adobe Reader Installation

Sometimes the Adobe reader and their resources could be damaged that will hamper the smooth functioning of the software. Here’s a quick fix to repair the  damaged Adobe reader

Open Adobe Reader Or Acrobat.

Click on the Help button in the menu.

Hit the Repair Adobe Reader Installation and restart.

If the above solution doesn’t help you to fix the issue,  make sure your Windows 10 is running the latest version of Adobe Reader. Running the Adobe Reader or Acrobat that is out of date can cause conflicts with your system. You may want to download the latest update patch. The following solution will help you to check for the latest updates.

Read: Adobe Reader Command line switches for silent install and deployment

3] Download the latest update patch

Open Adobe Reader or Acrobat.

Click on the Help button in the menu.

Hit the “Check for Update” option from the Help drop-down menu.

In the update box, Click download to have a new version and restart.

4] Uninstall, and fresh install Adobe Reader

Completely uninstall Adobe Acrobat Reader using its uninstaller and then download and install its latest version. You can download and use this Uninstaller from Adobe.

5] Change the Default PDF reader

In Windows 11/10, Microsoft Edge is the default PDF reader along with being the default web browser. Though it eases the use of PDF files without the hurdle of installing third-party apps, it is suitable as a more basic PDF reader.  You may have made Adobe Reader or Acrobat as your default PDF reader for a feature-rich experience. But since this was not working for you, you may look at some other free PDF Readers, and set it as your default PDF reader in Windows as follows.

Right-click the PDF  file.

Click on “Open with” option in the menu.

Choose your favorite PDF reader from the list of programs.

If you do not see it, select Choose another app and set the default program.

If the above solutions don’t help, then it’s quite possible that the PDF file may be corrupted or there might be a fault by the program while creating the PDF file.  Make sure the PDF file you are viewing is not damaged.