How to Fix Acrobat Error Creating a Mail Document on Mac
Question details
The user is unable to generate an email draft from Adobe Acrobat due to an application error on macOS.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- macOS Mojave
- Scenario
- Attempting to share or send a PDF file as an email attachment directly from the Adobe Acrobat interface.
- Observed behavior
- The application fails to open the email client and displays a warning stating that an error occurred while trying to create a mail document.
Ensure that your Apple Mail application is already configured with an active email account and can successfully send emails on its own.
Adjust macOS Automation Permissions and Default Mail Settings
This solution resolves the issue by allowing Adobe Acrobat to communicate with the Apple Mail application through macOS privacy settings.
Modern macOS versions, including Mojave, feature strict privacy controls that prevent applications from controlling other apps without explicit user permission. If Acrobat lacks this permission, the mail document creation process will fail.
Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Preferences (or System Settings on newer macOS versions).
Click on Security & Privacy, navigate to the Privacy tab, and scroll down the left sidebar to select 'Automation'.
Look for Adobe Acrobat in the list of applications on the right. Ensure the checkbox next to 'Mail' under Adobe Acrobat is checked, granting it permission to control the Mail app.
Open the Apple Mail application, go to Mail > Preferences from the top menu bar, and ensure that 'Apple Mail' (or your preferred client) is selected in the 'Default email reader' dropdown.
Quit both Adobe Acrobat and Apple Mail completely. Relaunch Acrobat to test the email feature. If it still fails, check for and install the latest Adobe Acrobat updates.
Send PDFs via Email Effortlessly with WPS Office
Bypass complex macOS privacy permissions and application errors by using WPS Office. It offers a lightweight, fully integrated PDF reader and editor that lets you share documents via email in just a few clicks.
- 1. Open the PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office for Mac and open the PDF document you wish to send.
- 2. Click on Share: Locate and click the 'Share' button found in the top-right corner of the application interface.
- 3. Select Email: Choose the 'Email' option from the sharing menu. WPS Office will automatically draft a new email in your default mail client with the PDF attached.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does macOS block Acrobat from opening the Mail app?
Starting with macOS Mojave, Apple introduced enhanced security measures that require users to explicitly grant permission before one application can send AppleScript commands to control another application, such as Acrobat instructing Mail to draft a message.
Can I use Microsoft Outlook instead of Apple Mail to send PDFs from Acrobat?
Yes, but you must first open the Apple Mail application, navigate to its Preferences, and change the 'Default email reader' from Apple Mail to Microsoft Outlook. You must also ensure Acrobat has automation permissions for Outlook.
What should I do if the automation option for Acrobat is missing in System Preferences?
If Acrobat does not appear in the Automation list, you can try resetting privacy permissions via the Terminal. However, simply updating Acrobat to the latest version or completely reinstalling the application usually forces macOS to prompt you for the permission again.
