Office Settings & Configuration

How to Enable Adobe PDFMaker in Outlook 2013

Rana Garcia Oct 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to restore or enable the Adobe PDFMaker add-in which is missing from the Outlook 2013 ribbon.

How to Enable Adobe PDFMaker in Outlook 2013

Product: Microsoft Outlook 2013
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: After installing Adobe Acrobat, the PDFMaker tab fails to appear or function within the Outlook 2013 interface.
Observed behavior: The Adobe PDFMaker tab is entirely missing from the ribbon, preventing the user from converting emails to PDFs directly from Outlook.

Before you start

Ensure you have administrative privileges on your computer and verify your Adobe Acrobat license is active.

Solution 1Recommended

Update Adobe Acrobat to a Compatible Version

Outlook 2013 requires at least Adobe Acrobat XI version 11.0.01 for the PDFMaker add-in to integrate successfully.

Compatibility between Outlook and Adobe Acrobat is strictly tied to version numbers. If you installed an older build of Acrobat XI, the add-in will silently fail to load in Outlook 2013.

Launch Adobe Acrobat

Open the Adobe Acrobat application from your desktop or Start menu.

Check for updates

Navigate to 'Help' in the top menu bar and select 'Check for Updates' from the dropdown list.

Install the latest patch

Follow the on-screen prompts to download and install the updates. Ensure your software updates to version 11.0.01 or newer.

Restart Outlook

Close Microsoft Outlook 2013 completely and reopen it to verify if the PDFMaker tab now appears on the ribbon.

Update Adobe Acrobat to a Compatible Version

Version Verified: Keeping both Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office fully updated prevents most add-in compatibility issues.

Solution 2

Re-enable PDFMaker from Outlook Add-ins Settings

Use this solution if your Acrobat is updated but the add-in was automatically disabled by Outlook due to a slow load time or crash.

Solution 3

Repair the Adobe Acrobat Installation

Repairing the software can resolve issues where corrupted installation files prevent the PDFMaker registry keys from being created.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Outlook 2013 disable my Adobe PDFMaker add-in?

Outlook 2013 has a built-in feature that automatically disables add-ins if they cause the program to start slowly or crash. You can override this by navigating to File > Info > Slow and Disabled COM Add-ins and selecting 'Always enable this add-in'.

Which versions of Adobe Acrobat are compatible with Outlook 2013?

You need Adobe Acrobat XI (specifically updated to version 11.0.01 or later), Acrobat 2015, Acrobat 2017, or Acrobat DC to ensure full integration with Office 2013 applications.

Can I save emails as PDFs without the Adobe PDFMaker tab?

Yes. If you are using Windows 10 or later, you can open an email, press Ctrl+P to print, and select 'Microsoft Print to PDF' as your printer to save the email as a PDF file.

What should I do if the Acrobat PDFMaker option is missing from the COM Add-ins list?

If it is missing entirely, the add-in either wasn't installed or the registry keys are broken. You should run a repair on your Adobe Acrobat installation via the Windows Control Panel to regenerate the add-in files.

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