Fix Adobe Acrobat Crashing While Editing or Commenting on Mac
Question details
The user experiences frequent application crashes when attempting to add comments or edit PDF documents, resulting in the loss of unsaved work.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- macOS (MacBook Air)
- Scenario
- Adding comments, annotating, or editing a PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- Adobe Acrobat repeatedly crashes or freezes during the editing or commenting process, forcing a shutdown and causing unsaved changes to be lost.
Ensure you have saved a backup copy of your PDF file to prevent permanent data loss during troubleshooting, and close any unnecessary background applications running on your Mac.
Update Adobe Acrobat and macOS
Running outdated software is a common cause of unexpected crashes. Updating both your PDF editor and your Mac operating system can resolve known compatibility bugs.
Software updates often contain essential bug fixes for known crashing issues, especially when new macOS versions are released or major system changes occur.
Open Acrobat, go to the top menu bar, and click 'Acrobat' > 'About Acrobat' to note your current version.
Click 'Help' > 'Check for Updates' within the Acrobat top menu and follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest patches.
Open 'System Settings' (or System Preferences) on your Mac, navigate to 'General' > 'Software Update', and install any pending macOS updates.
Restart your MacBook Air to apply all updates completely before opening the PDF to test the commenting features again.
Edit the PDF File Locally
Network interruptions can cause Acrobat to crash if you are editing a file directly from a cloud drive or shared network folder.
Reset Acrobat Preferences
Corrupted preference files can cause unexpected crashes when using specific tools like the commenting or annotation features.
Edit and Comment on PDFs Smoothly with WPS Office
If your current PDF editor continues to crash on your Mac, WPS Office offers a highly stable and lightweight built-in PDF editor. Easily add comments, highlight text, and edit PDF documents without worrying about unexpected application crashes or losing unsaved work.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install the WPS Office suite for Mac from the official website.
- 2. Open Your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the PDF file you need to review and annotate.
- 3. Add Comments: Navigate to the 'Comment' tab to quickly access highlighting tools, text boxes, and sticky notes.
- 4. Save Changes Safely: Click the 'Save' icon or press Command + S to safely store your annotations locally or to the cloud.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out the exact version of Adobe Acrobat I am using on my Mac?
Open Adobe Acrobat, look at the top menu bar between the Apple icon and 'File', click 'Acrobat', and select 'About Acrobat Pro' or 'About Acrobat Reader'. A window will pop up displaying the exact version number, such as 2023.xxx.
Can third-party plugins cause Adobe Acrobat to crash on macOS?
Yes, outdated or incompatible third-party plugins can interfere with Acrobat's core functions. Try temporarily disabling your plugins in Acrobat's settings to see if the crashing stops while editing or commenting.
Why does my MacBook Air lose unsaved PDF comments when the application crashes?
When the application unexpectedly quits, it cannot write your temporary data to the disk. To prevent losing comments, ensure the Auto-Save feature is enabled in your Preferences, or manually press Command + S frequently while editing.
