Select Menu > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Layers.
Last updated on
Nov 5, 2025
Learn how to control which layers print when working with layered PDF documents in Adobe Acrobat.
PDF layers let you control the visibility of different content within a document. When you print layered PDFs, you can adjust which layers can be in the output. This is useful for documents containing background graphics, watermarks, or varying levels of detail that you might want to include or exclude when printing.
View how layers print
Windows
Select Layers from the right panel.
From the Layers pane, select Options
Select Apply Print Overrides.
macOS
Select File > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Layers.
Select Layers from the right panel.
From the Layers pane, select Options
Select Apply Print Overrides.
Change print settings for a layer
Windows
Select Menu > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Layers.
Select Layers from the right panel.
From the Layers pane, select Options
Select Layer Properties.
In the dialog box that opens, select Print dropdown menu.
Select any of the following options as needed:
- Prints When Visible: Matches printed output to onscreen visibility.
- Never Prints: Allows the layer not to print.
- Always Prints: Allows the layer to print.
macOS
Select File > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Layers.
Select Layers from the right panel.
In the Layers pane, select Options
Select Layer Properties.
In the dialog box that opens, select Print dropdown menu.
Select any of the following options as needed:
- Prints When Visible: Matches printed output to onscreen visibility.
- Never Prints: Allows the layer not to print.
- Always Prints: Allows the layer to print.
