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Acrobat for Windows and Mac: User Interface

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Ditch the 2023 User Interface in Acrobat

There are so many shortcomings and problems with the new 2023 GUI interface. Here are just a few:

  1. Swapping left and right-hand panels for no reason. This does not improve anything for users. It just forces users to change everything about how they work in Acrobat every workday.

  2. Functions are indicated by random icons. In the 90s, we learned that icons in software and websites don't work across different populations. Users have a difficult time figuring out what the heck they mean. Give text labels.

  3. The left panel is permanently positioned on the screen and obscures part of the document below. Seriously Adobe, WTF.

  4. The entire menu/panel system can't be customized, moved, or docked. Another WTF.

  5. Hamburger menus (those obscure 3 horizontal lines) are used on mobile interfaces to collapse menus. They are totally unnecessary and inappropriate on desktop interfaces — where working people spend most of their time working. Give people real menus with real names. "Menu" is not accurate, either. What is the name of the other menu to the right? Menu 2? Cheeseburger Menu?

  6. The new interface is inaccessible for those with disabilities who use assistive technologies, especially screen reader users. Adobe has seriously violated its VPAT with governments and corporations worldwide who are required by law to provide accessible work environments and tools.

  7. Grey on Grey is not an accessible color scheme. Can't tell if some icons are active or disabled. Those with low vision can't discern the icons.

  8. Digital signatures, Document Cloud (where Adobe stores your files by default), subscriptions, OCR, file creation, file combining, and accessibility all have reported major problems for the past few years...but rather than fix these critical problems, money was instead spent on rearranging the deck chairs on the sinking Titanic.

As long-time PDF consultants, my firm has found that the majority of customers are professionals who use Acrobat for their jobs. These are not "casual" users working on their smartphones. They are using desktops/laptops with full screens, not mobile devices to do their jobs. And they work with PDFs a lot.

They have developed actions and scripts to automate processes on dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of PDF files every day. These industries include print, prepress, graphic design, accessibility & remediation, accessible forms, variable forms, variable printing, data validation, financial institutions (think of all those bank statements every month!), health care, investment and finance, and manufacturing.

Dramatic GUI changes like 2023's completely change how these automated processes work...if they still work at all.

The cost to these industries to correct the now-broken processes — brought on by Adobe's whimsical, untested design idea — is appalling. If I was a major corporation hit by this unnecessary expense, I'd ban Adobe products from my company and look for another PDF vendor.

There are now many reputable competitors to Adobe Acrobat: See:
— https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-pdf-editors
— https://www.techradar.com/best/pdf-editors
— https://www.pcworld.com/article/407214/best-pdf-editors.html

Calling this Acrobat's "Modern Viewer" is a form of gaslighting Adobe customers. It's not modern at all — 30 years ago, using icons failed in software and web interfaces, and it's failing again with Acrobat 2023. Sometimes retro isn't good, especially retro user interfaces. Please don't attempt to bring back disco, old-fashioned 20 inch TVs, polyester suits, rotary phones and VHS tapes as being "Modern," too.

Ditch this "Modern Viewer" and instead give us a working tool to get our jobs done.

  1. Revert the interface back to what it was.

  2. Fix Acrobat's bugs. There are so many!

  3. And improve the accessibility for those with disabilities (who can't get to the Comments panel, Bookmarks panel, understand what and how much is redacted, make edits or change the content, scale/enlarge the interface, nor sign a PDF).

For those still reading this, users can revert to the old interface for now (August 2023).
— Windows: Hamburger Menu / Disable New Acrobat
— Mac: View Menu / Disable New Acrobat

I have no idea who long Adobe is going to let us revert to the "real" interface.

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Bevi Chagnon | PubCom.com shared this idea  ·   ·  Report…  ·  Admin →

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  • Chris Spaight commented  ·   ·  Report

    To add to this:

    You've actually taken functionality away by breaking the "Action wizard" feature.

    Also you used to be able to set something once per document and it would stay that way without having to redo the settting.

    For example, when you extract pages in the old version, you don't have to select delete pages or create files every single page you extract, as long as you kept the extract page open. In the new version you do.

    To you it's one second. But when you have to do the same action 100+ times a day it's a real pain.

  • Philip R commented  ·   ·  Report

    The "new" UI is an abomination. For example: there are valid reasons for having the table of contents on the left side but you put it on the right. No other pdf application does this. Why do you have to be different? Also there are valid reasons for not changing an interface. Improve the application don't fool around with an interface people have grown accustomed to using. I cannot use this application any more. Thanks for nothing.

  • James Ainsworth commented  ·   ·  Report

    The performance of the 'new' Acrobat GUI is exceptionally bad.

  • Sassa Srd status commented  ·   ·  Report

    The new 2023 Acrobat GUI has introduced numerous issues that are frustrating for users. For example, swapping the left and right-hand panels doesn’t improve usability—it just disrupts workflows. The reliance on random icons without clear labels makes navigation difficult, and the left panel permanently blocking part of the document is a major design flaw.

    Customization options are severely lacking, and hamburger menus, which are more suited for mobile, make no sense on desktop interfaces. Accessibility has also taken a hit, with the color scheme and screen reader compatibility being problematic. Adobe should prioritize fixing these critical issues rather than focusing on unnecessary design changes.

    Best regards,
    https://sassasrd-status.co.za

  • Chris commented  ·   ·  Report

    This 'thread' is invaluable to me. When I am the only one in the office experiencing a near-complete halt to productivity, finding others who feel similar is a huge relief. It can sometimes feel like a Twilight Zone episode, where you are running down the street wondering why no one else notices that the sky is falling. I define despair as searching the internet for a remedy to Adobe's latest catastrophic changes and getting absolutely no hits.

  • Derek Banocy commented  ·   ·  Report

    Not sure why we bother complaining. Nothing changes. I want acrobat to stop forcing me into the new interface and in either interface, give me the scroll bars back!

  • Maura Nobile commented  ·   ·  Report

    I've reverted back to the previous interface, but its' still freezing the entire system every time I try to search (ctr+f) or to leave a response comment to my team members in pdf. The current situation is pretty miserable to work within. As a CPA, it's making it almost impossible to review tax documents efficiently, and really bogging us down in the most critical time of the year. We are having to print the pdfs so that we can make comments manually; we are also having to wait minutes for the system to clear after searching for key words. Adobe, please get this fixed ASAP!

  • Carrie McClung commented  ·   ·  Report

    The changes are atrocious!! I have been so frustrated for the past year by all of the issues indicated above. But the latest change to the commenting tools is absolutely infuriating.

    I use Acrobat to mark up documents regularly. Having to click "post" for every single comment on a document that is numerous pages long and has hundreds of comments is extremely time consuming.

    Also switching from one comment tool to another is wonky at best. Often times, I have to choose the new tool 2-3 times before the switch happens, and I've inadvertently deleted comment text in the process.

    I have no idea who created these new commenting tools, but they are absolute garbage and appear not to have undergone any user testing.

    This change was an absolutely horrible decision.

    I am actively looking for a replacement for marking up documents because it takes me twice as long to do markup in Acrobat now.

    At this point, Acrobat is a waste of money and time. I can't believe how badly they have ruined an application that was once the most useful tool I used.

  • Kathleen Mattson commented  ·   ·  Report

    To everyone saying "Luckily we can revert back to previous UI" -- I agree! However, let's all keep in mind that this is very probably a temporary thing: I can't see any reality in which Adobe will allow that indefinitely. We all need to start looking for a good Adobe Acrobat replacement... (I wish Affinity was working on that!)

  • Kelly commented  ·   ·  Report

    Thank goodness for the ability to revert to the "old" interface. I was losing my mind every time I was reading a pdf and could not find the zoom buttons. Keep them at the top just like everything else which has worked for decades!

  • InstyButte Typesetting2 commented  ·   ·  Report

    Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher are pretty good programs, with performance light years ahead of anything Adobe makes. Unfortunately, they still lack certain features that I sometimes need. Adobe still has a death grip on the industry, but it will eventually falter. Of course, in the meantime, we all still need to get work done... and Adobe's unreliable, unresponsive, poorly optimized products are our tools. Maybe they'll add another new AI feature no one needed or asked for this month and jack the price up again?

  • Kathleen Mattson commented  ·   ·  Report

    Seconding the question others have posted -- I'm looking for a good alternative to Acrobat specifically for Mac. Any suggestions?

    Meanwhile,
    I have replaced Photoshop with Affinity Photo
    I have replaced Illustrator with Affinity Designer
    I have not yet replaced InDesign -- but will probably switch to Affinity Publisher

  • Rob commented  ·   ·  Report

    "Discoverability": Discovering how much we hate the new Acrobat.

    "Fluidity": Adobe going down the toilet.

    "Connected experience": Hundreds and hundreds of us joining hands in a futile year-long gripe session.

  • Ted Converse commented  ·   ·  Report

    They are not listening. It's time ... can someone please point me to a MAC alternative platform? Any ideas?

  • Morning Hullinger commented  ·   ·  Report

    I reread Shashank Jain explanation to all of our concerns and complaints. And my question to Shashank is what is Adobe Acrobat for?
    All of the changes were in the User Interface for "certain advantages over the previous one such as discoverability, fluidity, connected experience and others." What does that even mean? The changes were not in better performance, such as fixing crashes or any of the other actual performance problems.
    So what is Adobe Acrobat for? For me it is a tool that is a necessary part of my daily work flow in the graphics and printing industry. It is not a game or a new toy nor do I use it for fun. I don't have time to have to relearn for no good reason a tool that I have been using for many years, and that I pay for.

    Dramatic User Interface changes are not a great idea for any work related program. This version is inefficient, counterproductive, frustrating, and useless.

    Rather than an unnecessary face lift:
    -Fix the performance & functionality.
    -Give users a choice of tool placement & window setup.
    -Make it less complicated not more.

  • Denny Esford commented  ·   ·  Report

    Alas, I am a simple user. I read files, combine files, make minor edits, and Bates Stamp documents for production in litigation. Adobe's requirement that I re-learn these simple tasks (once the old version inevitably goes away) for $20 month demands a different solution for business Adobe apparently no longer wants. =(

  • David Peters commented  ·   ·  Report

    The best PDF software in the world (though only available for Windows): PDF-XChange Editor. In many professional aspects, it's about 100 times faster than Adobe Acrobat. Not to mention, it has around 5 times more features, is fully customizable down to the pixel, and costs about six times less.

  • David Peters commented  ·   ·  Report

    Haha Brett, you hit the nail on the head. Except Jim's name is Shashank.

    It's a tragedy, though, to watch the slow-motion train wreck that is the decade-long demise of Adobe Acrobat.

    Fortunately, I can mostly laugh at this drama because I gave up using this abysmal software literally 10 years ago.

    See thousands of other voices also here:
    https://bit.ly/Acrobat-Uservoice-Interface
    https://bit.ly/TheSlowDeathOfAdobe
    https://bit.ly/HorribleAcrobatDC-2015

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