Fix Adobe Acrobat DC Crashing When Adding Comments on macOS
Question details
Adobe Acrobat DC becomes unresponsive or closes unexpectedly on macOS when interacting with PDF documents.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Adding comments, changing comment properties, zooming, or opening PDF files.
- Observed behavior
- The application freezes, becomes entirely unresponsive, or crashes to the desktop, particularly after updating to macOS Catalina or later.
Verify if the crash happens with a single specific PDF file or all PDFs by testing a newly created, blank PDF document on your Mac.
Update Software and Reset Acrobat Preferences
Outdated software or corrupted preference files are the most common causes of compatibility crashes on macOS.
macOS updates often introduce changes to graphic handling and system libraries. Keeping both your operating system and Adobe Acrobat DC up to date ensures maximum compatibility and stability.
Open Adobe Acrobat DC, click on the 'Help' menu in the top menu bar, and select 'Check for Updates'. Install any available updates and restart the application.
Click the Apple menu, go to 'System Preferences' (or 'System Settings'), and select 'Software Update'. Install any pending macOS updates.
Quit Acrobat. Open Finder, hold the Option key, click 'Go' in the top menu, and select 'Library'. Navigate to the 'Preferences' folder and move 'com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro.plist' to your desktop.
Relaunch Adobe Acrobat DC to automatically generate a fresh preference file, then open a PDF and attempt to add a comment.
Disable Third-Party Plug-ins and Use Local Files
Incompatible extensions or network latency can interfere with Acrobat's commenting and rendering tools.
Annotate and Edit PDFs Seamlessly with WPS Office
If your current PDF reader continues to crash on your Mac, WPS Office offers a stable, lightweight, and free alternative. It features built-in, comprehensive PDF editing and commenting tools with full format compatibility, ensuring your workflow remains uninterrupted.
- 1. Download and install: Download WPS Office for Mac from the official website and install the application.
- 2. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and drag and drop your PDF file into the workspace to open it.
- 3. Add comments securely: Navigate to the 'Comment' tab to stably add notes, highlights, and annotations without performance drops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Acrobat start crashing after the macOS Catalina update?
macOS Catalina dropped support for 32-bit applications and introduced new security and graphic processing protocols. If Acrobat or its installed plug-ins are not fully optimized for these architecture changes, it can lead to unresponsiveness when rendering interactive elements like comments.
How can I stop Acrobat from freezing when zooming in on a PDF?
Freezing during zooming is often related to graphic rendering conflicts. You can go to Acrobat Preferences > Page Display, and uncheck 'Use 2D graphics acceleration' to force software rendering, which may bypass the crash.
Will my comments be saved if Adobe Acrobat crashes?
If the Auto-Save feature was enabled (found in Preferences > Documents > Automatically save document changes), Acrobat may offer to recover your recent changes upon reopening. Otherwise, unsaved annotations made right before the crash will be lost.
