How to Stop Adobe Acrobat Document Reading Pop-up for Untagged PDFs
Question details
The user wants to stop Adobe Acrobat from displaying a document reading preparation message when opening untagged PDF files.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat XI Pro
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Opening untagged PDF documents after a recent software update.
- Observed behavior
- A screen-reader assistance or document reading pop-up constantly appears every time an untagged PDF is opened.
Ensure you have full access to your Adobe Acrobat settings, as modifying global reading and accessibility preferences is required to resolve this issue permanently.
Disable Screen Reader Prompts in Acrobat Preferences
Adjusting the global reading settings is the most effective way to stop the pop-up for all future untagged PDFs.
Adobe Acrobat automatically tries to read untagged documents to prepare them for screen readers and assistive technologies. If you do not rely on these tools, you can safely turn this feature off in the software preferences.
Open Adobe Acrobat XI Pro. Click on 'Edit' in the top menu bar, and then select 'Preferences' from the drop-down menu (or press Ctrl+K on your keyboard).
In the left-hand pane of the Preferences window, scroll down and click on the 'Reading' category.
Locate the 'Screen Reader Options' section. From the 'Page vs Document' drop-down menu, select 'Only read the currently visible pages' to minimize the software's processing time.
Uncheck the box next to 'Confirm before preparing untagged documents for reading'. Finally, click 'OK' at the bottom to save and apply your new settings.
Add Accessibility Tags to the PDF
If you only experience this issue with a few specific files, adding tags to those PDFs will prevent Acrobat from triggering the untagged document alert.
Read PDFs Smoothly and Without Interruptions in WPS Office
If you want to avoid complicated accessibility settings and forced reading pop-ups, WPS PDF offers a fast, lightweight, and distraction-free reading experience for all PDF files.
- 1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and run the installer on your computer.
- 2. Set as Default PDF Reader: Right-click any PDF file, select 'Open with', choose WPS Office, and check 'Always use this app to open .pdf files' to make it your default reader.
- 3. Open and Read Instantly: Double-click your PDF file. WPS PDF will open the document instantly, allowing you to read without any untagged document preparation prompts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat say 'preparing document for reading'?
This message appears because Acrobat is attempting to analyze the PDF to generate temporary accessibility tags for screen readers. It happens automatically when opening untagged documents if the assistive technology features are enabled in your preferences.
Does disabling the reading prompt affect normal PDF viewing?
No, disabling the prompt only stops Acrobat from automatically preparing the document for assistive technologies like text-to-speech software. Your visual reading experience, formatting, and the document's content remain completely unaffected.
How do I check if my PDF is tagged?
You can check a document's tagging status by opening it in Acrobat, pressing Ctrl+D to view Document Properties, and looking at the 'Tagged PDF' status located in the lower-left corner of the 'Description' tab. If it says 'No', the document is untagged.
