How to Fix Acrobat X Pro Installation Hanging on macOS El Capitan
Question details
The user is unable to complete the installation of Acrobat X Pro on macOS El Capitan because the installer freezes indefinitely during the package scripts stage.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat X Pro
- Device & OS
- macOS El Capitan
- Scenario
- Installing legacy PDF software on an older macOS system.
- Observed behavior
- The installer hangs indefinitely at 'Running package scripts' and cannot be closed using normal force-quit methods.
Ensure you are logged into your Mac using an administrator account, as standard user accounts do not have the required permissions to install system-level software.
Verify Administrator Permissions and OS Compatibility
Confirm you have the correct system permissions and evaluate whether your macOS version supports this legacy software.
Installation scripts often require elevated privileges to write to system folders. While some users suspect manual 'sudo' commands are needed, standard macOS installers handle this by prompting for an administrator password. Additionally, Acrobat X Pro is an older software release that may lack native compatibility with macOS El Capitan.
Log out of your current macOS session and log back in using an account with Administrator privileges.
Navigate to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General, and ensure that your Mac is set to allow apps downloaded from 'App Store and identified developers'.
Check Adobe's official support documentation for Acrobat X Pro. Since it is unsupported on El Capitan, consider upgrading to a newer PDF tool if the installation continues to block.
Force Quit the Installer and Repair Disk Permissions
Since the installer is frozen and cannot be closed normally, force quit the application and ensure your Mac's hard drive has no underlying permission errors.
Use WPS Office as a Lightweight PDF and Office Alternative
Instead of struggling to install outdated PDF software like Acrobat X Pro, switch to WPS Office. It provides a built-in, lightweight PDF reader and editor that is fully compatible with macOS, alongside its powerful Office suite.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the macOS version of the software.
- 2. Install the Software: Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag the WPS Office icon into your Applications folder.
- 3. Open and Edit PDFs: Launch WPS Office, select the 'PDF' tab, and easily open, view, or edit your PDF files without compatibility issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Mac installer freeze at 'Running package scripts'?
This typically happens due to permission conflicts, an incompatible operating system version, or an issue with the installer's background scripts attempting to write to restricted or read-only system folders.
Is Acrobat X Pro fully compatible with macOS El Capitan?
No, Acrobat X Pro is older, legacy software that is not officially supported by Adobe on macOS El Capitan. This lack of support often leads to installation failures, freezes, and crashes.
Do I need to use the sudo command to fix macOS installation freezes?
No, 'sudo' is a terminal command used to execute actions with superuser privileges. Standard GUI application installers do not require you to manually use sudo; they instead prompt for your administrator password when elevated permissions are needed.
