How to Hide Adobe Acrobat's Text Selection Pop-Up Menu
Question details
The user wants to remove or hide the floating toolbar that automatically appears when selecting text in a PDF document.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Selecting text while reading, reviewing, or editing a PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- A text selection pop-up menu or floating toolbar appears immediately after text is highlighted, frequently blocking the view of the document content beneath it.
Ensure your device is connected to the internet, as you will likely need to download and install the latest software updates to access the required preference settings.
Update Acrobat and Disable the Quick Actions Toolbar
Updating your Acrobat software to the latest version unlocks the preference setting required to turn off the text selection pop-up menu.
The floating text selection menu is a feature introduced in newer Acrobat releases to provide quick access to highlighting and markup tools. Because early versions of this feature did not include a toggle to turn it off, updating your application is a mandatory first step.
Open Adobe Acrobat, navigate to the 'Help' menu at the top of the window, and select 'Check for Updates'. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest version for Acrobat DC, 2017, or 2015.
Once the update is complete and the application has restarted, click on 'Edit' in the top menu bar and select 'Preferences'. Alternatively, press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+, (Mac).
In the Preferences window, select 'General' from the list of categories on the left-hand sidebar.
Scroll through the basic tools settings and look for the option labeled 'Show quick actions on text selection'. Uncheck the box next to this option.
Click the 'OK' button at the bottom of the window. The floating toolbar will no longer appear when you select text in your PDF documents.
Read and Edit PDFs Smoothly with WPS Office
If intrusive toolbars and clunky interfaces disrupt your reading experience, switch to WPS Office. Its built-in PDF tool provides a clean, fast, and user-friendly interface that lets you interact with your documents without annoying overlapping menus.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install the free WPS Office suite from the official website.
- 2. Open your PDF: Launch WPS PDF and open your document to enjoy a clean reading interface.
- 3. Select text freely: Highlight and select text smoothly without your view being blocked by automatic pop-up menus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the floating toolbar appear when I select text in Acrobat?
The floating toolbar is a 'quick action' feature introduced in newer updates. It was designed to give users fast access to highlighting, copying, and commenting tools immediately after selecting text. However, many users find it obstructs the document.
What if the option to disable the pop-up menu is missing in my Preferences?
If you cannot find the 'Show quick actions on text selection' checkbox in your General preferences, you are running an older build of Acrobat. You must update your software via Help > Check for Updates to get the version that includes this toggle option.
Can I permanently disable commenting features in Acrobat Reader?
In Acrobat Reader, commenting tools are made available based on the document's security permissions set by the author. While you cannot globally disable the commenting engine itself, you can hide the toolbars or switch your view to a simplified reading mode to minimize distractions.
