Fix Photoshop and Illustrator Missing from Acrobat Edit Using Menu on Mac
Question details
Users are unable to find Photoshop and Illustrator in the Edit Using menu within Adobe Acrobat on macOS, even after setting them as external editors.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Attempting to edit images or objects within a PDF file using an external Adobe application like Photoshop or Illustrator on a Mac.
- Observed behavior
- The Edit Using menu only lists macOS Preview. Configured Adobe applications are missing, forcing the user to manually browse the applications folder.
Before modifying your application settings, ensure that your macOS operating system and all Adobe Creative Cloud applications are updated to their latest versions.
Update and Reinstall Apps via Creative Cloud
Refreshing your Adobe installations through Creative Cloud can restore broken application links and system extensions on macOS.
Over time, macOS updates or repeated application updates can break the extensions that Acrobat uses to populate its contextual menus. Reinstalling the applications directly through the Creative Cloud desktop app helps reset these internal paths.
Launch the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application on your Mac.
Navigate to the 'Updates' tab and ensure Acrobat, Photoshop, and Illustrator are all on the latest versions.
If everything is up to date, go to 'All apps', click the three dots next to Acrobat (and your editors), select 'Uninstall', and then reinstall them cleanly.
Manually Select the External Editor
If Acrobat only shows native operating system editors like Preview, you can still manually route the image to Photoshop or Illustrator.
Reconfigure Editors in Acrobat Preferences
Explicitly declaring the application paths in Acrobat's Touch Up preferences can help re-establish the connection to external editors.
Edit PDF Images Directly in WPS Office
Skip the frustration of missing external editor menus. WPS Office features a powerful built-in PDF editor that allows you to directly manipulate images and objects within your document, eliminating the need to configure third-party software connections on your Mac.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office for Mac and open your PDF document.
- 2. Enter Edit Mode: Click the 'Edit' tab located on the top ribbon menu.
- 3. Select the Image: Click on any image in your PDF to activate the image modification handles.
- 4. Edit Natively: Use the right-side properties panel to crop, replace, resize, or extract the image without leaving the application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat only show Apple Preview in the Edit Using menu?
Recent versions of Adobe Acrobat often default to the native operating system's file handlers. If macOS designates Preview as the default application for image formats, Acrobat may prioritize it over other installed Adobe applications.
Will resetting Acrobat preferences restore Photoshop to the menu?
Resetting preferences can sometimes resolve minor UI glitches, but it may not restore missing menu entries if the issue stems from how Acrobat integrates with macOS system extensions in its current version.
Can I permanently fix the Edit Using menu on macOS?
If completely reinstalling the applications via Creative Cloud does not restore the menu, you may need to rely on manually mapping the editors in Acrobat's Touch Up preferences or manually selecting 'Open...' to locate your editor each time.
