About Adobe Reader X

Adobe® Reader® is the tool for opening and using Adobe PDFs that are created in Adobe Acrobat®. Although you can't create PDFs in Reader, you can use Reader to view, print, and manage PDFs. After opening a PDF in Reader, you have various tools to help you find information quickly. If you receive a PDF form, you can complete it online and submit it electronically. If you receive an invitation to review a PDF, use the commenting and markup tools to annotate it. Use the Reader multimedia tools to play video and music in a PDF. And if a PDF contains sensitive information, you can sign or certify a document with a digital ID.

For more information see:

    Protected mode (Windows)

    By default, Adobe Reader X runs in protected mode to provide an added layer of security. In protected mode, malicious PDF documents can’t launch arbitrary executable files or write to system directories or the Windows Registry. See Introducing Adobe Reader protected mode for more details.

    To check the status of protected mode, choose File > Properties > Advanced > Protected Mode.

    Protected mode is enabled by default. To turn off protected mode:

    1. Choose Edit > Preferences.

    2. In the Categories list on the left, select General.

    3. Deselect Enable Protected Mode at startup.

      Messages from Adobe

      The General preferences include options for allowing Adobe to display in-product marketing messages while you work in the program. You decide whether to receive these in-product marketing messages.

      Note: Transactional messages, which facilitate the Adobe Online Service, cannot be turned off.

      1. Open the Preferences dialog box.

        • (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences.

        • (Mac OS) Choose Adobe Reader > Preferences.

      2. Under Categories, click General.

      3. In the Messages From Adobe section, select options as desired.

        Show Me Messages When I Launch Reader
        Allows messages from Adobe to appear in the Welcome Screen when you launch the application without a document open. Click a message to get information about features, updates, or online services, or to open an element in the application, such as a task pane. Deselect the option to prevent in-product marketing messages from appearing.

        Don’t Show Messages While Viewing A Document
        Prevents in-product marketing messages from Adobe from appearing in the lower-left corner of the application window. Click the close button to dismiss the message. The message fades away if you do nothing. Leave the option deselected to allow in-product marketing messages.

        Accessibility features

          Keyboard alternatives to mouse actions

          Reader and Acrobat have the same keyboard shortcuts. To view the full list, see Keyboard shortcuts in Acrobat Help.

          Use a screen reader or magnifier

          Use the Accessibility Setup Assistant to set up Reader for either a screen magnifier or a screen reader.

          • Choose Edit > Accessibility > Setup Assistant, and then select the options you want from each screen of the Setup Assistant.

          Reflow text in a PDF

          Reflow a PDF to temporarily present it as a single column that is the width of the document pane. This reflow view makes the document easier to read.

          • To reflow text, choose View > Zoom > Reflow.

          In most cases, only readable text appears in the reflow view. Text that does not reflow includes forms, comments, digital signature fields, and page artifacts, such as page numbers, headers, and footers. Pages that contain both readable text and form or digital signature fields do not reflow. Vertical text reflows horizontally.

          For more information, see Reading PDFs with reflow and accessibility features in Acrobat Help.

          Note: You cannot save, edit, or print a document while it is in Reflow view.