Quit the Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader application.
Issue
AcroCEF.exe/RdrCEF.exe are inseparable processes of Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader. They handle multiple integral aspects of the application, such as network interaction and Adobe cloud storage services, such as Fill and Sign, Send For e-signature, Share for View/Review, and more.
If these processes don't function properly, an error message is displayed while using any services dependent on the processes.
For more information, see What are RdrCEF.exe and AcroCEF.exe processes?
Refer to The Chromium Projects
Steps to troubleshoot
Follow the steps below in the order they appear.
Step 1: Quit Acrobat or acrobat reader and relaunch it
Steps for Windows:
Steps for macOS:
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Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
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If any AcroCEF/RdrCEF processes are running, select the AcroCEF/RdrCEF process and then select Stop.
Repeat the step until no AcroCEF/RdrCEF process is running.
Stop the AcroCEF or RdrCEF process from the Activity Monitor Stop the AcroCEF or RdrCEF process from the Activity Monitor -
Select Quit when prompted.
-
Launch Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
Step 2: Check for proper permissions to the webresources folder
Verify if you have read/write permissions for the WebResources folder at the specified location.
Windows |
macOS |
|
---|---|---|
Adobe Acrobat |
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\WebResources |
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/DC/WebResources |
Acrobat Reader |
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\WebResources |
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat Reader/DC/WebResources |
Step 3: Safelist Acrobat and Acrobat Reader Folders to Protect AcroCEF/RdrCEF Processes
Sometimes, third-party software DLLs disrupt or interfere with the AcroCEF or RdrCEF processes. This is referred to as a DLL injection. To solve this problem, include the Acrobat installation directory in the third-party software's exception list. Once you add it, the AcroCEF and RdrCEF processes will function properly.
The steps below explain how to add exceptions to Avast antivirus software. If you are using different antivirus software, follow the instructions on the respective website, and add the Acrobat or Acrobat Reader folder to the exception list accordingly.
Steps to safelist Acrobat or Acrobat Reader folder:
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Open Avast antivirus and then select Menu > Settings.
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Select General > Exceptions, and then select Add Exception.
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Add the path of the Acrobat folder as below:
Windows
macOS
Adobe Acrobat
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat\
/Applications/Adobe Acrobat/
Acrobat Reader
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\
/Applications/Adobe Acrobat Reader/
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Select Add Exception. The Acrobat or Acrobat Reader folder is now safelisted.
If you are still facing the issue, collect and analyze the logs using Adobe Acrobat Diagnostics to identify the third-party DLLs loaded in the AcroCEF or RdrCEF processes, and then safelist the Acrobat or Acrobat Reader folder in the corresponding third-party software.
Step 4: Repair Acrobat or Acrobat Reader installation (WINDOWS)
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Launch the Adobe Acrobat application.
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Go to
> Help > Repair installation.
After the repair process is complete, restart your computer.
Step 5: Uninstall and reinstall Acrobat or Acrobat Reader
You can sometimes resolve the error by uninstalling and reinstalling Acrobat.