Uninstall Acrobat and the Creative Cloud desktop app using the Adobe Cleaner Tool.
Last updated on
Nov 5, 2025
Learn how to troubleshoot Adobe Acrobat when it crashes immediately after launch.
Acrobat may crash on startup due to activation issues, permission restrictions, compatibility issues, or damaged installation files.
Damaged app files
Windows
Delete all Adobe folders from:
C:\Program Files\
C:\Program Files\Common Files\
C:\Program Files (x86)\
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\
C:\ProgramData\
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Locallow\
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\
Restart your computer.
Download Acrobat 64-bit Installer and open it from your notifications or the Downloads folder.
Double-click the downloaded file and select Run.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Acrobat.
macOS
Uninstall Acrobat and the Creative Cloud desktop app using the Adobe Cleaner Tool.
Delete all Adobe folders and Adobe preferences from:
/Library/Application Support/
/Library/Preferences/
Restart your computer.
Download Acrobat Unified Installer file and open it from your notifications or the Downloads folder.
Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount the Acrobat installer volume.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Acrobat.
Corrupt application file (Windows only)
Select Control Panel > All Programs.
Right click Adobe Acrobat and select Repair.
Follow on-screen instructions.
Restart your computer after the repair is complete.
Admin permission issue (Windows only)
Right-click Adobe Acrobat icon on your desktop.
Select Run as administrator.
Approve any system prompts or enter your admin credentials if asked.
Antivirus software causes installation issues
Some antivirus programs may prevent Acrobat from launching. Ensure your antivirus software is up to date. If issues persist, try temporarily turning off your antivirus software during the launch. If it opens, add Acrobat as an exception in your security software settings. Remember to re-enable your antivirus software after installation to maintain your system's security.
Activation issues
Acrobat may crash while launching if it detects an expired license or product subscription. Ensure that you have a valid license and an active product subscription. If you see error messages while signing in, such as “Unable to reach Adobe Servers”, “Can’t verify subscription status”, or “Something went wrong”, refer to the activation issues guide to resolve the problem.
User profile issues
If the issue is specific to your user account, try switching to a different user profile on the same system. Log in with another user account and re-launch Acrobat to check if the issue persists. If it works fine, the issue may be related to the original user profile.
