Fix M1 Mac Freezes When Opening Adobe Acrobat PDFs from NAS
Question details
An M1 iMac freezes when trying to open or edit Adobe Acrobat files stored on a local Network Attached Storage (NAS).
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Accessing, opening, or editing PDF files directly from a local NAS drive using an Apple Silicon (M1) Mac.
- Observed behavior
- The Adobe Acrobat application or the entire Mac system freezes during the opening or editing process, a problem that did not occur on older Intel-based iMacs.
Copy the problematic PDF file from your NAS directly to your Mac's local drive (such as your Desktop) and try opening it. If it opens successfully, the issue is isolated to network access compatibility.
Update Adobe Acrobat and Isolate the NAS Connection
Installing the latest Apple-silicon-native updates for Acrobat can resolve underlying M1 compatibility bugs and prevent freezing during network access.
Many older versions of Adobe applications run on M1 devices through Apple's Rosetta 2 technology, which can sometimes introduce instability when handling network-based files over SMB protocols. Updating to a native Apple Silicon version drastically improves stability.
Open Adobe Acrobat on your Mac. In the top menu bar, click on 'Help' and select 'Check for Updates'. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest version.
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner, go to 'System Settings' (or 'System Preferences'), and select 'Software Update'. Ensure your M1 Mac is running the latest version of macOS.
Attempt to open a different PDF file located on the same NAS. This helps determine whether the freezing is specific to one damaged file or the network connection as a whole.
After all updates are installed, restart your iMac to ensure all new system configurations and network protocols take effect.
Reset Adobe Acrobat Preference Settings
Corrupted preference files can cause Acrobat to mismanage network paths, leading to system freezes when trying to read files from a NAS.
Open and Edit PDFs Smoothly with WPS Office
If your current PDF reader continues to freeze when accessing network drives on your M1 Mac, WPS Office provides a lightweight, natively optimized solution. It easily opens PDFs from NAS drives without hanging your system.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Download the Mac version of WPS Office from the official website and follow the installation instructions for Apple Silicon.
- 2. Open the PDF Editor: Launch WPS Office and click on the 'PDF' tab on the home screen to access the dedicated PDF reader and editor.
- 3. Navigate to Your NAS: Click 'Open' and use the Mac Finder dialog to navigate to your connected Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive.
- 4. Open and Edit the File: Select the PDF file you wish to view or edit. WPS Office will quickly load the document over the network without freezing your M1 Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my M1 Mac only freeze when accessing files on a NAS?
Freezing usually occurs because older, non-native applications running through Rosetta 2 can struggle with macOS's SMB network protocols. When the app waits for data from the NAS and doesn't receive it in the expected format, it hangs the application.
How can I tell if my Adobe application is running natively on Apple Silicon?
Open Finder and navigate to your Applications folder. Right-click on the Adobe Acrobat app and select 'Get Info'. Look under 'Kind'; if it says 'Application (Universal)' or 'Application (Apple Silicon)', it is running natively. If it says 'Application (Intel)', it is using Rosetta 2.
Can I prevent Acrobat from saving recent files on my NAS?
Yes. Freezing often happens when Acrobat attempts to generate thumbnails for network files. You can turn this off by going to Acrobat Preferences > Documents, and unchecking 'Show online storage when saving files' and 'Save As optimizes for Fast Web View'.
Are older Adobe installers completely incompatible with M1 Macs?
Often, yes. Users frequently report that installing older versions of Adobe apps like Premiere or Acrobat on M1 Macs yields a 'file may be damaged' error. Always download the latest universal installers via the Creative Cloud app to ensure compatibility.
