How to Fix Adobe Acrobat and Reader Crash on macOS Mojave
Question details
Users need to resolve frequent crashes and freezing issues when opening, scrolling, or printing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat and Reader.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat and Reader
- Device & OS
- macOS Mojave
- Scenario
- Opening, scrolling, or printing PDF files
- Observed behavior
- The application frequently freezes or crashes during basic PDF operations on multiple computers in the office.
Before troubleshooting, ensure you have your Adobe account credentials handy and save any unsaved work in other applications to prevent data loss during sudden application restarts.
Update Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the Latest Version
Installing the latest patch often resolves known bugs and performance issues causing unexpected freezes on macOS.
Software updates frequently include bug fixes for compatibility issues between Adobe Acrobat and specific operating systems like macOS Mojave.
Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader, navigate to the 'Help' menu at the top of the screen, and select 'Check for Updates'.
Follow the on-screen prompts to download and install the latest available version (such as version 20.009.20063 or newer).
Ensure your Mac meets the official system requirements to smoothly run the newest version of Acrobat.
Temporarily Disable Protected View and Enhanced Security
Disabling enhanced security features can help identify if restrictive settings are causing the application to crash.
Troubleshoot Dual-Monitor Configuration
Sometimes crashes are triggered by rendering conflicts when using multiple displays with Adobe Acrobat.
Use WPS Office for Stable and Fast PDF Reading
If Adobe Acrobat continues to crash on your Mac, WPS Office provides a highly stable, lightweight, and free PDF reader and editor that flawlessly handles viewing, scrolling, and printing large PDF files on macOS without freezing.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office for Mac from the official website.
- 2. Set as Default PDF Reader: Right-click any PDF file, select 'Get Info', change 'Open with' to WPS Office, and click 'Change All'.
- 3. Open and View PDFs: Double-click your PDF file to open it in WPS PDF. Enjoy incredibly smooth scrolling and stable performance.
- 4. Print Your Documents: Click the 'Print' icon or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + P to easily print your PDF files without encountering application freezes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Adobe Acrobat freeze when opening large PDFs on Mac?
Acrobat may freeze due to outdated software versions, corrupted installation files, system requirement limitations, or overly restrictive enhanced security settings conflicting with macOS Mojave.
Will updating Adobe Reader delete my current PDF files?
No, updating Adobe Acrobat or Reader only updates the application files. Your personal PDF documents, annotations, and data will remain completely intact on your hard drive.
How do I check my current Adobe Acrobat version on a Mac?
Open Adobe Acrobat, click on 'Acrobat' or 'Help' in the top menu bar, and select 'About Adobe Acrobat' or 'About Adobe Reader'. A dialog box will display your exact installed version number.
Does a dual-monitor setup cause PDF reader crashes?
Yes, in some older patches of Adobe Acrobat, dual-monitor configurations could trigger display rendering crashes. Updating to the latest software patch usually resolves these display-related freezes.
