Uninstall & Reinstall Issues

How to Reinstall Acrobat XI After Canceling Acrobat Pro DC Trial

Camila MilosovichCamila Milosovich Oct 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user is unable to reinstall Acrobat XI after installing and canceling an Acrobat Pro DC trial, encountering Error 1336 during the installation process.

How to Reinstall Acrobat XI After Canceling an Acrobat Pro DC Trial
Product
Adobe Acrobat
Device & OS
not provided
Scenario
Attempting to revert to an older version of Acrobat (Acrobat XI) after a newer trial version (Acrobat Pro DC) was installed and uninstalled.
Observed behavior
The reinstallation process fails with Error 1336, displaying a message that a temporary installation file could not be created.
Before you start

Ensure you have your original Acrobat XI installation media or download link, as well as your valid serial number handy, before starting the cleanup process.

Solution 1Recommended

Thoroughly Clean Leftover Adobe Files and Reinstall

To resolve Error 1336, you must completely remove all remnants and conflicting temporary files of Acrobat Pro DC before reinstalling Acrobat XI.

Error 1336 typically occurs because leftover temporary files or corrupted licensing folders from a newer Adobe trial prevent the older installer from writing to necessary directories. A complete cleanup using Adobe's official tools is required to fix this permissions conflict.

1
Uninstall all existing Adobe applications

Open your system's Control Panel or Settings, navigate to 'Programs and Features', and uninstall all instances of Acrobat, Adobe Reader, Creative Cloud, and any related Adobe applications.

2
Delete leftover licensing folders

Navigate to your system's ProgramData and Common Files directories to locate and manually delete the 'Adobe PCD' and 'SLStore' folders, which contain corrupted or conflicting licensing data.

3
Run Adobe Cleaner Tools

Download and run the official Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool, followed by the Adobe Reader and Acrobat Cleaner Tool. Follow the on-screen prompts to wipe any lingering registry keys and installation files.

4
Restart and reinstall Acrobat XI

Restart your computer to apply the changes. Launch your original Acrobat XI installer, follow the setup wizard, and enter your serial number when prompted.

Thoroughly Clean Leftover Adobe Files and Reinstall
Administrator Privileges Required: Make sure you are logged into an account with Administrator privileges to successfully delete system folders and run the cleaner tools.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Error 1336 mean when installing Adobe Acrobat?

Error 1336 typically means the installer cannot create a temporary file needed for installation. This is often caused by leftover conflicting files from a previous Adobe product trial, restricted folder permissions, or corrupted registry entries.

Where can I find the Adobe Cleaner Tools?

You can download the Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool and the Acrobat Cleaner Tool directly from the official Adobe support website by searching for them in their respective troubleshooting sections.

Can I have both Acrobat Pro DC and Acrobat XI installed at the same time?

No, Adobe generally does not support installing multiple versions of Acrobat on the same machine simultaneously. You must fully uninstall the newer version before successfully installing an older one.