PDF Editing Issues

Fix Acrobat Reader Text Selection Menu Off-Screen on iPad

Elise Williams Oct 19, 2026 869 views

Question details

The text-selection menu in Acrobat Reader becomes inaccessible and appears off-screen during landscape split-screen multitasking on an iPad.

How to Fix the Acrobat Reader Text Selection Menu Appearing Off-Screen on iPad

Product: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Device & OS: iPadOS
Scenario: Attempting to highlight, copy, or edit text in a PDF document while using Acrobat Reader alongside another app in landscape split-screen mode.
Observed behavior: The text-selection menu blinks in the upper-left corner outside the visible screen area, completely preventing users from accessing copy, highlight, and other standard text options.

Before you start

Ensure your iPad is unlocked and currently oriented in landscape mode with Acrobat Reader actively running alongside your second application.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust the Split-Screen Ratio

Temporarily widening the Acrobat Reader app window forces the app to correctly recalculate its layout, bringing the text-selection menu back into the visible screen area.

This issue typically arises due to a communication glitch between the app and iPadOS regarding the reduced screen width in split-screen view. Giving the app more horizontal space resolves the positioning error.

Locate the split-screen divider

Find the small gray drag handle located on the vertical divider between Acrobat Reader and your second opened app.

Expand the Acrobat Reader window

Tap, hold, and drag the divider toward the other app to give Acrobat Reader more screen space and a wider view.

Access the text-selection menu

Highlight your desired text in the PDF again. The menu containing copy, highlight, and edit options should now appear properly above the text.

Restore your preferred layout

Once you have completed your text selection or highlighting, drag the divider back to your preferred split-screen ratio to continue multitasking.

Temporary Workaround: Since this is an active rendering glitch between the app and iPadOS, you may need to repeat this resizing trick if the menu goes off-screen again during your session.

Seamless iPad PDF Editor

Edit PDFs Smoothly in Split-Screen with WPS Office

If Acrobat Reader continues to glitch during split-screen multitasking, try WPS Office. It offers a highly optimized iPadOS experience for PDF editing, ensuring all menus, text selection tools, and highlighters remain perfectly accessible regardless of your window size.

1. Install the app: Download and install WPS Office directly from the iPad App Store.
2. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document from your local storage or cloud drive.
3. Enter split-screen mode: Tap the multitasking dots at the top of your iPad screen to open a second app side-by-side.
4. Select text seamlessly: Long-press any text in your PDF document to instantly access the stable selection menu and utilize highlighting or copying tools without interruption.

Flawless iPadOS split-screen support without off-screen menu glitchesFully compatible with Microsoft Office formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and standard PDFsFree, lightweight, and fast PDF reader and annotatorIntuitive touch interface for easy text highlighting, copying, and signing

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the text menu disappear in Acrobat Reader on my iPad?

This is typically caused by a UI rendering issue where the app and iPadOS fail to correctly calculate the reduced screen width in split-screen mode, causing the menu coordinates to be placed outside the visible screen.

Can I fix the iPad menu issue without changing the split-screen size?

If you do not want to resize the window, you can temporarily exit split-screen mode entirely to make your text selections, or try rotating your iPad to portrait mode and back to force the screen to redraw.

How do I exit split-screen mode on my iPad?

Tap and hold the multitasking divider handle in the middle of the screen, then drag it all the way to the left or right edge of the screen to close the second app and return Acrobat Reader to full screen.

PDF Troubleshooting