New features summary | December 2023 release of Acrobat

In-app Acrobat help content

This release enhances in-app help with a comprehensive, integrated help section. The feature previously covered Edit and Request e-signature tools now extends to Export a PDF, Create a PDF, Combine files, Organize pages, and Fill & Sign tools. Within this section, you'll find:

• Video tutorials (if available)
• How-to articles
• More resources

This integration allows you to access helpful information and guidance directly in Acrobat without visiting external websites.

Skip onboarding tour

In the earlier release, users found it difficult to locate the option to bypass the Acrobat onboarding tour, as it required selecting Skip tour from the Options menu (  ) in the tour dialog box. The latest release has made this process more user-friendly. There are prominent Not now and Finish buttons directly in the dialog box, allowing you to easily end the onboarding tour whenever you choose.

Additionally, in the Viewer onboarding tour, we have improved the sequence of the dialog boxes. The See menu options card now appears first, providing immediate visibility, followed by the Access all tools in one place and Find and share cards. This rearrangement offers a more logical and helpful flow for users navigating the onboarding process.

View Adobe Express projects in the recent files list

The Adobe Express projects that you've worked on in Acrobat now appear in the Recent list on the Acrobat Home page.

You can double-click the file to open it in the Adobe Express app. Alternatively, select the file and choose Open in Adobe Express from the right pane.

Guided prompts to use the request signatures tool

Acrobat now detects a form when opened and prompts you to try using the request signatures tool.

Similarly, the first time you open the Sign tool in Acrobat, an informative banner appears on the left-side Sign panel, encouraging using the Request e-signatures tool.

Enhancements to advanced editing in Acrobat

Support for files with tables, asides, images, and more

The scope of file support for advanced editing has been significantly expanded in this release. Now, files that include various elements, such as images within paragraphs, images in headers and footers, tables, asides, footnotes, annotations, and symbols, are fully supported. This enhancement greatly improves the editing experience. When you make edits to such files, the page intelligently adjusts itself. Text reflows proportionately to accommodate your changes, ensuring a seamless and intuitive editing process without disrupting the overall layout and design integrity of the document.

Improved text editing in annotated PDFs

Acrobat's updated text editing feature enhances your experience with annotated PDFs. Now, when you edit the text in such a document, Acrobat smartly keeps the annotations attached to their relevant areas, even as the text reflows. This ensures that the document's structure and layout remain intact. Moreover, you can freely relocate paragraphs with attached annotations throughout the document without losing these annotations. Additionally, for highlighted text, any new content added within the highlighted section automatically inherits the highlight, maintaining the coherence of your document's formatting.

Enhancements to adding comments to a PDF

Persistent floating context menu

In this release, we've enhanced the floating context menu when selecting text in a document. Previously, this menu would vanish when the mouse cursor moved away. Now, it remains visible and persistent as long as the cursor stays focused on the document. The menu only disappears when you move the cursor focus outside the page view.

Enhanced reviewer avatar for shared PDFs

In the latest update, commenting on a shared PDF file features improved avatars. Where previously the avatars appeared pixelated, they now clearly and accurately display the type of annotation used in the document. Additionally, avatars for insert text comments, which were not visible in earlier versions, appear prominently now.

Contextual menu on non-text comments on shared files

On shared files, the contextual menu did not appear on non-textual comments like freehand drawings. With this release, the contextual menu appears for any freehand drawing annotations on shared files.

Restrictions on blank annotations

Acrobat now prevents the posting of blank sticky note annotations on shared files. The Post button is active only when you type something in the comment box.

Similarly, if you use the Insert text or Replace text annotation without specifying changes, Acrobat automatically removes these blank comments from the PDF as soon as you click elsewhere in the document, and it won't save them. Any added annotation will also be deleted if you choose to Cancel it.

Improved annotation selection from the quick tools menu

In the earlier release, the text selection would disappear when you select text and choose an annotation from the quick tools dropdown menu. We have fixed the bug in this release, and the selection is retained while choosing the desired annotation.

Easily add a sticky note to the text selection

You can now select the text in a PDF and choose sticky note annotation from the floating context menu. This results in the selected text being highlighted and a sticky note comment added to the comments section. You will need to add your inputs in the sticky note comment and post to retain the annotation.

This action will highlight the chosen text and add a sticky note to the comments section. To keep this annotation, simply enter your comments in the sticky note and Post it.

Color-coded form fields for easier recipient identification

Now, when sharing a form that requires signatures, you can assign a unique color to each recipient's form fields. This color association simplifies identification and speeds up the completion process for the respective recipients.

Manage shared file access requests from the desktop

The new release allows PDF file owners to view, approve, or deny access requests directly in the desktop app's Share tool.

Additionally, owners will receive in-app notifications for access requests to privately shared assets, while recipients will also get notifications to either accept or reject these requests.

Select Access requests, and then choose if you want to Accept or Deny the users requesting access to the document.

Switch to the legacy request e-signatures experience

Acrobat now provides an option to use the legacy request signatures experience from within the modern request signature workflow. From the request signatures tool pane on the left, select Switch to classic experience.

The agreement opens in the legacy authoring mode. To get back to the new experience, select Switch to new authoring.

Preference to always use the legacy version of request e-signatures

Switch to the legacy share files for review experience

You can now use the legacy share files for review experience in Acrobat. Do the following:

Performance improvements in opening a review file

Acrobat now opens review files from the system cache during cloud download, allowing immediate file access and parallel loading of shared data and comments. This simultaneous process speeds up both file opening and comment retrieval for a more efficient workflow.

Pin your frequently used tools for easier access

Now, you have the option to pin your most-used tools to the right navigation pane for quick access. Simply right-click on the right pane, choose your desired tool, and then select the pin icon to attach it there. If you want to remove a pinned tool, right-click on it and select Unpin tool.

When you pin more tools than the available space allows, the extra tools will shift to the More options ( ) menu.

Take a snapshot from the right-click menu

You can now easily Take a Snapshot from the right-click context menu. This simplifies the process of taking snapshots without navigating through multiple menus.

Acrobat print workflow update for macOS 13.5 and later

In response to Apple deprecating PSNormalizer in macOS 14, Acrobat introduces a new PDFPassthrough printing workflow for macOS 13.5 and higher versions. This method sends PDFs directly to Mac APIs through Adobe Graphics Manager, enhancing performance by avoiding the Distiller workflow. The update ensures smoother, more efficient printing processes in Acrobat, aligning with the latest macOS changes. Users can expect a more streamlined experience without the need for job options applied in previous PS printing methods.