How to Fix Acrobat Send for Comments Not Working
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where the Send for Comments feature is unavailable or failing in Adobe Acrobat.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to initiate an email-based comment workflow or a shared PDF review with colleagues.
- Observed behavior
- The Send for Comments option is missing, unresponsive, or returning an error indicating licensing or update requirements.
Verify your current software version by navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat, and ensure you have an active internet connection to validate your subscription status.
Update Acrobat and Verify Subscription Status
Installing the latest application patches and confirming your Acrobat Pro subscription tier often restores the shared review and commenting features.
Shared review features require an eligible and active Acrobat Pro DC subscription. Additionally, utilizing outdated versions of Acrobat can cause the 'Send for Comments' feature to malfunction or disappear entirely due to deprecated background services.
Open Adobe Acrobat Pro, click on the 'Help' menu at the top of the window, and select 'Check for Updates'.
Follow the on-screen prompts to download and install the latest update (e.g., version 15.006.30418 for Classic Track users).
Save all open documents, close Adobe Acrobat, and restart your computer to ensure the background registry changes and patch installations take full effect.
Log into your Adobe Document Cloud account online via a web browser to confirm your Acrobat Pro DC subscription is active and supports shared reviews.
Use WPS Office for Hassle-Free PDF Commenting and Sharing
If Acrobat's strict subscription requirements are blocking your workflow, switch to WPS Office. WPS PDF provides a robust, user-friendly set of annotation tools and allows you to easily share documents for review without expensive licensing hurdles.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document using the built-in WPS PDF tool.
- 2. Add annotations: Navigate to the 'Comment' tab on the top ribbon to easily add highlights, sticky notes, shapes, or text annotations to the document.
- 3. Share the document: Click the 'Share' button in the top right corner to generate a secure sharing link or to send the annotated file directly as an email attachment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the 'Send for Comments' option greyed out in Acrobat?
This typically occurs if your software is outdated, your Acrobat Pro DC subscription has expired, or if you are using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, which does not support initiating shared reviews.
What is the difference between email-based comments and shared reviews?
Email-based comments involve sending the PDF as an attachment for users to annotate and email back manually. Shared reviews upload the document to a central server (like Adobe Document Cloud or SharePoint) where all participants' comments are synchronized automatically.
Can I send a PDF for comments without a paid Adobe subscription?
Initiating a tracked, shared review requires a paid Adobe Acrobat Pro subscription. However, you can manually email a PDF for standard commenting or use free alternatives like WPS Office to add notes and share files seamlessly.
