Adobe Acrobat Reader DC can’t open in Windows 10? This can happen for many reasons. For example, the program may not have sufficient permissions to run properly. Or the game may have compatibility issues.
A corrupt Adobe Acrobat Reader DC installation can also prevent the program from launching on your desktop. Fortunately, a few fixes can help you get Acrobat Reader DC back up and running. Let’s dig them out and check them out.
Run as administrator
Try running Acrobat Reader DC with elevated rights. To do this, right-click the Acrobat Reader DC shortcut on your desktop and click Run as Administrator. Click Yes in the User Account Control dialog that appears.
If Acrobat Reader DC starts up properly, you can always configure the shortcut to run the program with administrator rights. Start by right-clicking the Acrobat Reader DC shortcut. Next, select Properties.
In the Properties dialog that appears, switch to the Shortcut tab, select Advanced, check the box next to Run as Administrator, and then click OK.
Run in Compatibility Mode
Run Acrobat Reader DC in Compatibility Mode to eliminate compatibility issues with Windows 10.
Start by right-clicking the Acrobat Reader DC icon on the desktop. Next, select Properties. In the Properties dialog, switch to the Compatibility tab, check the box under Compatibility Mode and select Windows 8. Click Apply and OK.
If you continue to encounter the same issue, try setting Compatibility Mode to Windows 7. You can also use the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter (click Run Compatibility Troubleshooter) to detect and fix compatibility issues in Acrobat Reader DC.
End Background Processes
Acrobat Reader DC still cannot open? Ending all background processes related to the program can help.
To do this, right-click on the Start menu and select Task Manager. Then click More Details to expand the default Task Manager view.
Switch to the Processes tab, select each Acrobat Reader DC related background process (as shown in the screenshot above) and then click End Task.
After doing this, try to open Acrobat Reader DC again.
Disable Protected Mode
Acrobat Reader DC uses a feature called Protected Mode to protect your computer against malicious PDF documents. In rare cases, Protected Mode may also prevent the program from installing. So, try disabling it.
Since you cannot open Acrobat Reader DC to disable protected mode, you have to use Registry Editor for this.
Stage 1: Press Windows+R, type regedit, and then click OK to open the System Registry.
Step 2: Copy the following path into the address bar of the Registry Editor window and press Enter:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\Privileged
Stage 3: Double-click the registry entry labeled bProtectedMode.
Step 4: Set the value to ‘0’ and click OK.
Step 5: Quit Registry Editor.
Try running Acrobat Reader DC. If it starts properly, you can continue to use the program with Protected Mode disabled. However, this makes Acrobat Reader DC less secure. Consider going with other fixes to completely fix the problem.
If you want to check if re-enabling Protected Mode is causing the problem to recur, go to Edit > Preferences > Security (Advanced) and then check the box next to Enable Protected Mode on Startup.
update windows 10
Have you updated Windows 10 recently? Running old Windows builds often causes problems with applications like Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
To install the latest Windows 10 updates, open the Start menu, type windows updateand then press Enter. Click Check for Updates and install any pending updates. Then restart your computer and try to start Acrobat Reader DC.
Uninstall and Reinstall
If you still have problems, you need to reinstall Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Before doing this, it is best to use Adobe Reader DC and Acrobat DC Cleaner Tool to completely remove the program from your computer.
Stage 1: Restart the computer.
Step 2: Download Adobe Reader DC and Acrobat DC Cleaner Tool.
Stage 3: Run Adobe Reader DC and Acrobat DC Cleaner Tool.
Step 4: Select Reader.
Step 5: Click Clean Now to start the uninstallation procedure.
Step 6: After Adobe Reader DC and Acrobat DC Cleaner Tool finish uninstalling Acrobat Reader DC, restart your computer.
Step 7: Download Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
Step 8: Right-click the setup file and select Properties. Under the Compatibility tab, check the box next to ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ and select Windows 8 or Windows 7.
Step 9: Install Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
Step 10: Restart your computer after the installation procedure.
Try running Acrobat Reader DC. It should probably open without problems.
back to work
If you’ve managed to get Acrobat Reader DC running again, be sure to update it regularly. To do this, open the Help menu and select Check for Updates. Having the latest Acrobat Reader DC updates should minimize the possibility of encountering similar issues in the future. Don’t forget to update Windows 10 frequently as well.
Next: Did you know that you can open PDFs in separate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC windows? Here’s how to do it.
