Fix Acrobat Shared Review Comments Not Retrieving on SharePoint
Question details
Users are unable to publish or retrieve comments in an Acrobat XI Pro Shared Review hosted on SharePoint Online because the connection resolves to an IP address instead of a fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
- Product
- Acrobat XI Pro, SharePoint Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reviewers and initiators attempt to sync comments on a PDF hosted in a SharePoint Shared Review.
- Observed behavior
- The PDF review fails to sync comments and incorrectly attempts to connect via an IP address rather than the expected SharePoint fully qualified domain name.
Ensure you have administrative access to your network settings and that your SharePoint Online site collection is configured with standard domain settings rather than direct IP access.
Configure FQDN and Verify Network Access
Force the shared review to use the correct Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) and ensure firewall rules permit Microsoft 365 traffic.
Acrobat XI Pro sometimes struggles with modern SharePoint Online authentication and DNS resolution, causing it to fall back to an IP address. Correcting the network path and ensuring firewall reachability can restore the connection.
When creating the Shared Review in Acrobat, explicitly enter the fully qualified domain name (e.g., https://yourdomain.sharepoint.com/sites/review) instead of selecting a mapped network drive that might resolve to an IP address.
Work with your IT administrator to ensure all required Microsoft 365 and SharePoint URLs are reachable through your local firewall, proxy, and DNS configuration.
Connect the device to an unrestricted network, such as a mobile hotspot, to determine if local network restrictions or DNS caching are causing the IP address fallback.
If the issue persists, collect your Acrobat network logs and contact Microsoft or Adobe support, noting that the connection is failing due to an IP address mismatch.
Try WPS Office for Seamless PDF and Document Collaboration
Since outdated PDF software can struggle with modern cloud connections like SharePoint Online, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible suite for viewing, editing, and commenting on PDFs alongside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office Free on your device to access the all-in-one productivity suite.
- 2. Open Your PDF: Launch WPS PDF and open your shared document.
- 3. Collaborate and Comment: Navigate to the Comment tab to add highlights, text boxes, and annotations without network syncing errors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat use an IP address instead of the domain name for SharePoint?
This usually happens due to local DNS resolution issues or because the SharePoint location was selected using a mapped network drive rather than a direct URL link during the review setup.
Can I still reliably use Acrobat XI Pro with modern SharePoint Online?
While basic file storage might work, advanced collaboration features like Shared Reviews often fail because Acrobat XI uses outdated authentication protocols that modern Microsoft 365 environments no longer support.
How do I check if my firewall is blocking SharePoint URLs?
You can review your network proxy logs or contact your IT administrator to ensure that standard Microsoft 365 endpoint URLs and IP ranges are explicitly allowed through your corporate firewall.
