Fix Adobe Acrobat DC Crashing on Apple Silicon Mac (M1/M2/M3)
Question details
Users need to resolve performance issues where Adobe Acrobat DC constantly crashes or runs extremely slowly on Macs equipped with M-series chips.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- macOS (Apple Silicon)
- Scenario
- Opening, scrolling, or editing PDF documents on a Mac with an M1, M2, or M3 processor.
- Observed behavior
- The application frequently crashes, freezes, or exhibits severe lag during scrolling, often because it is running via Intel compatibility software rather than in native Apple Silicon mode.
Ensure you have saved all open PDF documents and backed up any custom Acrobat preferences or signatures. You can verify your processor type by clicking the Apple logo in the menu bar and selecting 'About This Mac'.
Update Acrobat and Adjust Rosetta 2 Settings
Updating the software and toggling the Rosetta compatibility layer can resolve architecture mismatches that cause crashes.
Apple Silicon Macs use Rosetta 2 to translate Intel-based applications. While this enables compatibility, running heavy software like Acrobat DC through translation can lead to poor performance and crashes. Toggling this setting helps determine if the issue is tied to the architecture translation.
Open the Mac App Store to check for macOS updates. Then, open the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app and install the latest available updates for Acrobat DC.
Click the Finder icon in your dock, navigate to the 'Applications' folder, and click on the 'Adobe Acrobat DC' folder to locate the app icon.
Right-click (or Control-click) the Adobe Acrobat application icon and select 'Get Info' from the context menu.
In the Get Info window, look for the 'Open using Rosetta' checkbox. If it is checked, uncheck it to force the app to run in native Apple Silicon mode. If it is unchecked and crashing occurs, try checking it to see if Rosetta stabilizes the application.
Restart your Mac, launch Adobe Acrobat DC, and open a PDF to check if the scrolling lag and crashing have been resolved.
Repair or Perform a Clean Reinstallation
Corrupted application files can cause persistent crashes, requiring a repair or fresh installation of the software.
Read and Edit PDFs Smoothly on Apple Silicon
If Acrobat DC continues to crash or slow down your Mac, WPS Office offers a lightning-fast, native Apple Silicon PDF reader and editor. It handles large documents effortlessly without the heavy CPU usage.
- 1. Download the Mac Version: Visit the WPS Office website and click the download button specifically for macOS.
- 2. Install on Your Mac: Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag the WPS Office application into your Mac's Applications folder.
- 3. Set as Default PDF Viewer: Right-click any PDF file, choose 'Get Info', change 'Open with' to WPS Office, and click 'Change All' for a seamless experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if Acrobat is running through Intel compatibility software?
Open the 'Activity Monitor' application on your Mac (found in Applications > Utilities). Go to the 'CPU' tab, locate Adobe Acrobat in the list, and look at the 'Kind' column. If it says 'Intel', it is using Rosetta; if it says 'Apple', it is running natively.
Why is scrolling so slow in Acrobat DC on my M1 Mac?
Slow scrolling is a common symptom of the application running via Rosetta 2 translation instead of utilizing the native Apple Silicon architecture. Updating to the latest version and disabling 'Open using Rosetta' in the app's 'Get Info' panel usually resolves this.
Will I lose my custom stamps and settings if I reinstall Acrobat?
Uninstalling Acrobat can reset preferences and remove custom stamps or signatures if you do not choose to keep your application preferences during the uninstallation process. It is highly recommended to manually back up your custom files before reinstalling.
