Fix Acrobat Select Tool Not Working in Internet Explorer
Question details
The Select tool in Acrobat XI Pro is unresponsive when attempting to convert specific portions of a webpage to a PDF document within Internet Explorer.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat XI Pro, Internet Explorer
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A user is trying to utilize the Acrobat web-capture Select tool to grab and convert a targeted section of a webpage into a PDF format.
- Observed behavior
- The Select feature fails to respond, preventing the user from successfully capturing and converting the partial webpage content.
Before proceeding with troubleshooting, verify your exact version of Internet Explorer and ensure that the Adobe Acrobat web-capture add-on is actively enabled in your browser settings.
Clear Browser Cache and Check Website Compatibility
Resolve unresponsive web-capture tools by clearing temporary internet files and testing whether the issue is isolated to a specific, incompatible website.
Often, outdated cached files in Internet Explorer can interfere with browser extensions like Acrobat's web-capture feature. Additionally, heavily scripted or dynamically loaded webpages may simply be incompatible with the Select tool's partial conversion logic.
Open Internet Explorer, click the gear icon (Tools) in the upper-right corner, and select 'Internet options' from the dropdown menu.
Under the 'General' tab, locate the 'Browsing history' section and click the 'Delete...' button. Ensure 'Temporary Internet files and website files' is checked, then click 'Delete'.
Close Internet Explorer completely, reopen it, and navigate to a simple, text-heavy webpage (such as a basic Wikipedia article).
Click the Acrobat extension icon and attempt to use the Select tool on the new webpage. If it works, the original website's code or security settings are likely incompatible with Acrobat's conversion engine.
Easily Extract Webpage Content to PDF with WPS Office
Bypass outdated browser extension issues by saving your webpages natively and using WPS Office's powerful PDF editing tools to crop and extract exactly what you need.
- 1. Print the webpage to PDF: In your modern browser, press Ctrl + P to open the Print dialog and choose 'Save as PDF' as your printer destination to save the entire page.
- 2. Open the file in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office, click 'Open', and select the newly generated PDF file.
- 3. Crop the PDF: Navigate to the 'Edit' tab and select the 'Crop Page' tool. Drag the selection box around the specific portion of the webpage you want to keep.
- 4. Apply and save: Double-click inside the selection to apply the crop, then save the customized PDF document directly to your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Acrobat Select tool work on some websites but fail on others?
The Select tool relies on reading the webpage's structural code (DOM). Modern websites that utilize heavy JavaScript frameworks, dynamic content loading, or strict security measures often prevent browser extensions from interacting with specific webpage elements.
Is Adobe Acrobat XI Pro fully compatible with modern browsers?
No. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro is an older, end-of-life product. Its web-capture extensions are no longer updated to match the rapid security and structural changes in modern web browsers, leading to frequent unresponsiveness.
What is a quick alternative to capture part of a screen to PDF?
You can use your operating system's built-in screenshot tool (such as Snipping Tool on Windows or Shift+Cmd+4 on Mac) to capture the desired area, paste the image into a blank WPS Writer document, and export that document as a PDF.
