New features summary | June 2023 release of Acrobat

Enhancements in new Acrobat

Customize All tools

It's now possible to rearrange the tools in the All tools list by drag-and-drop as desired. To do so, select and hold the tool with your mouse cursor, and then drag it to the desired location. When you select a tool and drag over the View more option, the tool list expands, allowing you to place the tool at the desired location.

Multiple touchpoints for combining files

Acrobat now provides various touchpoints for combining files.

Combine files from the Create button

The current Create button in Acrobat now reveals additional options to Combine files and Open files when hovered over.

When you select Combine files, the tool opens in full screen on a new tab.

Combine files from the context menu

If you want to merge a PDF with other files while viewing it, right-click on the PDF and select Combine files from the context menu that appears. Acrobat opens the Combine files tool retaining your existing PDF file.

Waffle icon removed from All Tools menu

The All tools label no longer features the waffle icon to ensure a tidy and uncluttered interface.

Improvements in editing PDFs in new Acrobat

In the earlier versions, if you wanted to use annotation tools while editing a PDF, Acrobat didn’t permit you to directly return to the point where you left off editing after annotating the PDF. In this release, you can add annotations to a PDF while editing and then return to the Edit tool to continue editing the document as desired.

Auto-adjust layout while editing PDFs in new Acrobat

Acrobat introduces enhanced editing capabilities with a seamless multi-page editing experience in the new Acrobat. You no longer have to manually adjust the content to fix overlaps while editing a PDF document. The new auto-adjust layout mode in Acrobat automatically adjusts the content and reflows.

Key features:

• Text and images adjust automatically across pages as you edit.
• Document layout and margin are preserved while editing.
• Navigate and select text freely across paragraphs using the cursor.
• Make text or images inline or in front of document content.
• Select content easily across boxes on a page.
• Supports the editing of multi-level lists on a page.

Reordering of comment tool for improved discoverability

Previously, accessing the comment tool required clicking View more in the All tools panel. However, in this release, the Send for comments tool is moved higher up the list to make it more easily discoverable, eliminating the need to select the View more option to access it.

Enhancements in Request e-signatures experience

The Request e-signatures tool now offers a simplified user experience and enhanced authoring capabilities, allowing fluid movement across PDF workflows. The key features are:

Share a document with yourself

In the earlier versions, Acrobat didn’t allow you to share a document with just yourself for signing. In this release, you can add yourself as a recipient and send the document for signing.

Rearrange the recipients list by dragging

In the Add recipients dialog box, the recipient list can be rearranged by simply drag-and-drop using the drag handles.

Reordering of sign tools for improved discoverability

We have now moved the sign tools – Request e-signatures and Fill & Sign to the third and fourth place in the list of all tools for better discoverability and ease of use. This change allows you to quickly locate and utilize the sign tools as needed, ensuring a smoother and more efficient workflow.

New form fields in agreements

When preparing an agreement to request signatures, you now have the capability to include image files, stamps, file attachments, and transaction number fields.

Prefill company and title field

Acrobat now provides an option to prefill the Company and Title fields. This feature is helpful in saving time and increasing efficiency by reducing the need for repetitive data entry.

Support for searching agreement drafts and templates

Acrobat now supports searching of agreement drafts and templates and lists them in the search results.

Prompt to request signatures or save a certified copy after filling a form

When filling a PDF form, Acrobat automatically detects the form and prompts you to take the next action, such as Request e-signatures or Save a certified copy of the PDF.

New export option in page thumbnails context menu

Acrobat now provides pages from the right-click context menu on page thumbnails. Further, the Export pages option is now redesigned to provide the top-used export formats – JPEG and Microsoft® Word document as the primary options, and the rest of the formats are clubbed within the More submenu.

Also, when you export a page to any format, Acrobat retains the previous selection and does not display the page selection dialog box to specify the pages.

Preference to enable Microsoft® Purview Information Protection

To simplify the adoption of Microsoft® Purview Information Protection (MIP) for end users, a new preference in Acrobat is added that allows you to enable MIP directly in their Acrobat application. Previously, only administrators had the capability to enable MIP for users.

To enable the preference, go to Acrobat Preferences > Security and then select the Enable Microsoft Purview Information Protection option.

By introducing this preference, we aim to empower end users and provide with greater control over the MIP settings. This change streamlines the process and eliminates the need for administrative intervention, enabling a smoother and more efficient MIP integration within Acrobat.

Collaboration enhancements

Page level commenting

You can now add comments to a PDF more conveniently by using the new comment box available in the comment panel. Comments added through this box are posted to the top-right corner of the currently visible page. You can easily offer comments and suggestions specific to individual pages of the document, ensuring a more focused and targeted review process. The users no longer have to select each comment or scroll through pages to view the comment, thereby saving time and effort.

Commenting suggestions

To encourage participation in the commenting workflow and facilitate quick feedback, we now provide auto suggestions to recipients for files they’ve received from others, especially if they haven't commented on those files before. This feature aims to prompt users to engage in the commenting process and streamline the feedback workflow. For example, in the screenshot below, Acrobat suggests adding comments like Looks great, Needs work, and Thanks!

Invitation message posted as comment on the PDF

When you invite a reviewer and include a message in the invite dialog, Acrobat provides an option of posting the message as a comment on the PDF file. If you select the option, the message is added as a comment on the PDF file. This feature helps in maintaining context and facilitates efficient collaboration among reviewers and document owners. It ensures that important instructions, clarifications, or feedback are readily available within the document, making the review process more organized and effective.

Promoting collaborative review through online file sharing

Upon opening a PDF document with comments, Acrobat now prompts you to gather real-time feedback through an online shared file. Select Get link, to easily upload the PDF online and receive a link to share with other recipients.

Similarly, when you open a PDF file with existing comments and add your replies while offline, Acrobat now prompts you to select Get Link to upload the PDF online. By doing so, you can collaborate in real time with other recipients and continue the collaborative review process seamlessly.

Also, if you open any PDF file and add comments to it offline, Acrobat prompts you to select Get Link to upload the file online and then share with other recipients.

Recognize text from the context menu

Acrobat now provides the option to Recognize text in a scanned document from the right-click context menu.

Preference to set PDF/UA compliance in PDFMaker

Previously, ensuring compliance with ISO 14289 (PDF/UA) accessibility standards when converting PDFs from Microsoft® Word required an additional step. Users had to attach the PDF/UA ID using Preflight in Acrobat. However, in this release, we have introduced a new preference in the PDFMaker preferences, making it easier for you to set PDF/UA compliance while creating PDFs.

Request signature prompt after print failure

If you encounter a print failure while trying to print a PDF, Acrobat suggests using the Request e-signatures tool to share the file online instead. By offering this option, Acrobat enables you to seamlessly transition from printing to digitally sharing the document for signature purposes.

PDF ownership card redesign

The PDF ownership card has been redesigned into a modern dialog, offering an updated user interface. It offers a simple way to set Acrobat as the default application for opening and viewing PDF files on your system.

Prompt to use Acrobat Reader mobile app to edit documents

If you use the Edit tool more than three times within a week on the Acrobat desktop application, a banner appears at the bottom of the tools panel, prompting you to use the Acrobat mobile app for a seamless and convenient editing experience across devices. The banner informs you of the availability of the mobile app and its benefits for mobile editing, enabling you to access the features you need while on the move.

Select Get Mobile App. Acrobat then displays a QR code to scan from your mobile device to install the Acrobat Reader mobile app.

Continue reading PDFs on the phone from desktop

In the earlier version, Acrobat desktop provided a QR code for installing the mobile app and reading PDFs on your phone. However, the latest release notifies you to read PDFs on your mobile device without the need for a QR code.

Read a file saved on desktop on mobile app

When you open a PDF saved on your desktop, Acrobat prompts you to upload the file to Adobe cloud storage so that you can read it on mobile. Select Send to mobile to continue uploading the PDF to Adobe cloud storage.

Once uploaded, Acrobat displays a message that the file is sent to your mobile device. You'll get a notification on your mobile device in the Acrobat Reader app to open the PDF file to read. If you don't have the app installed on your mobile, scan the QR code displayed on your desktop application from your mobile phone to install the Acrobat Reader app.

Read a file saved to Adobe cloud storage on mobile app

When you open a PDF that is already saved on Adobe cloud storage, the Acrobat desktop app prompts you if you want to read the same file from your mobile app.

Select Open on mobile to continue reading the same file on your Acrobat Reader mobile app. Acrobat displays a message that the file is sent to your mobile device. You'll get a notification in the Acrobat Reader app to open the PDF file to read. If you don't have the app installed on your mobile, scan the QR code displayed on your desktop application from your mobile phone to install the Acrobat Reader app.

Inline typing support for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages

Chinese, Japanese, and Korean users can now perform inline typing while editing PDFs on macOS, as well as while using Fill & Sign on both Windows® and macOS. This feature greatly enhances the typing experience and productivity for these users.