How to Suppress the Acrobat Reader DC Welcome Tour via Registry
Question details
Enterprise administrators and users need a method to permanently hide or disable the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC welcome tour across user profiles.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Deploying Acrobat Reader DC or configuring a user profile to launch the application without being interrupted by the initial welcome tour popup.
- Observed behavior
- A welcome tour popup appears automatically upon launching the application, and in some restricted user environments, it repeatedly reappears on subsequent launches due to restricted registry permissions.
Editing the Windows Registry can cause system instability if done incorrectly. It is highly recommended to create a backup of your registry or set up a Windows System Restore point before proceeding.
Modify the bHideHelpWelcome Registry Value
Configure the specific DWORD value in the Windows Registry to explicitly disable the Welcome Tour in Acrobat Reader DC.
This is the standard administrative method to bypass the onboard tour. It forces the application to recognize the tour as already completed or hidden.
Press the Windows Key + R, type 'regedit' in the Run dialog box, and press Enter. Click 'Yes' if prompted by User Account Control.
Go to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\AVGeneral\Welcome Tour. If the 'Welcome Tour' folder does not exist, right-click 'AVGeneral', select New > Key, and name it 'Welcome Tour'.
Right-click on an empty space in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name the new value exactly 'bHideHelpWelcome'.
Double-click 'bHideHelpWelcome', change the Value data field from 0 to 1, and click OK.
Fully close Adobe Acrobat Reader DC if it is running, then reopen it to confirm the welcome tour no longer appears.
Fix Registry Key Permissions for Local Users
Resolve permission constraints that cause the Welcome Tour popup to repeatedly appear despite the correct registry value being set.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Acrobat Reader DC Welcome Tour keep reappearing after I close it?
This recurring issue usually happens because the local user account lacks adequate Read/Write permissions to the Adobe registry key. Without proper permissions, the software cannot save the fact that the tour was completed. Granting explicit Read access to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe usually resolves this.
Does this registry fix also apply to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC?
Yes, but the registry path differs slightly depending on your version. For Adobe Acrobat Pro, you typically need to navigate to the 'Adobe Acrobat' key instead of 'Acrobat Reader' and apply the same bHideHelpWelcome DWORD value.
Can I deploy this registry key to multiple users via Group Policy?
Absolutely. Enterprise system administrators can deploy this registry change across a network using Group Policy Preferences (GPP). Simply create a new Registry Item under User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry that pushes the bHideHelpWelcome value to the target machines.
