There's no end, is there?
With multiple versions of one document open, we used to ctrl-tab to alternate between the two in Acrobat, made it somewhat easy to find where changes had occurred, then add comments, etc.
Now when doing the ctrl-tab, the unopened All Tools magically appears, so now we have to tab past that, too. Adobe single-handedly made this one method 50% more keystrokes, less reliable, while it had worked fine for years.
Adobe: we get it that ctrl-tabbing between documents is not likely to be done on the iOS or Android devices, but you continue to abandon business users who already pay a heavy price by removing functionality.

I can hear the water cooler talk at Adobe... "Hey, Jim's the new guy on the Adobe team. We can have him tackle the uservoice comments related to our now year-old disaster of a product upgrade."

Good luck, Jim!

Shashank Jain's response may be the worst f_cking response to a complaint ever made.

Read the many, many, many clear explanations in the 30 pages below. Stop with the updates Adobe and fix the new problems you have created and fix the same problems people have requested fixes for over the last 15 - 20 years. Adobes software is getting more and more expensive and the service from Adobe is known world wide as being obnoxious and pathetic... and getting worse.

We just updated the UI last week and I agree with all of the above. It is horrible, and many changes where made for no reason, like swapping the menus from left to right??
Trying to prepare a form, something I do regularly was a nightmare. I couldn't even find the functions that used to be so clear previously.
My admin co-workers are similarly frustrated, disapointed, angry and upset.

Thank you for the tips on alternate PDF editing software! I honestly thought ADOBE did this becouse they had the monoploly and could and that we could do nothing about it.
I am requesting a new program from our tech department this week.

<hitting head against wall>
Nope. The New Acrobat still doesn't work for me. 768 comments to that effect, and we're being gaslit with terms like discoverability, fluidity and some kind of connected mumbo-jumbo. We were able to find the tools before. The tools worked before. We were able to customize our toolbars before. Are our concerns Under Review? No. The tag says Need Info. Read Bevi Chagnon's illustrative complaint, and all the others that have been added. There's the Info.
@Shashank Jain - you should be ashamed of yourself for this blatant nothingburger of a response to your paying customers. I still have yet to find a single actual user of Acrobat Pro who prefers, or can even stand, the New Acrobat experience. I know that they're out there. I mean, they have to exist. I just can't find any.

The 'new' version will NOT open scan files using the .pdf option on my scanner.

TRASH it!

Comments in the latest versions is still really bad and requires way too much clicking or use of multiple different interface elements. This isn't an issue of "learn the new interface". Functionality has been broken/removed, and the new toolbar requires too much clicks and interaction with multiple different pieces of the UI. Our users struggle to add comments, and our step-by-step guide to help them is now twice as long as with the old version.

Example:
In the old version:
1. To delete ("strikethrough") text, select text, press delete on keyboard.
2. To replace text, select text, type new text.
3. To insert text, click where you want it, type new text.

In the new version:
1. To delete text, select text, press delete.
2. To replace text, use two clicks (why not just click-drag like normal toolbars?) to select the replace text tool (if you have memorized where it is, if not use additional clicks to look through the tools), then select text and type new text. Option: Select text, right-click and choose replace text, then type new text.
3. To insert text, use two clicks (why not just click-drag like normal toolbars?) to select the insert text tool (if you have memorized where it is, if not use additional clicks to look through the tools), then click in the text and type new text. It's hard to click perfectly between letters sometimes, and if you click with the insert comment tool you can't click again if it's too close to where you clicked originally, so you get additional clicks as you have to click away first, then back to the (hopefully) correct spot. Option: Place marker in text, right-click and choose insert text, then type new text.

The new interface insisting that users manually use extra clicks to switch between tools for every single comment is a pain, and the ability to just use the select tool like in the old version has stopped working (and now the workaround to switch to "old acrobat" has stopped working)!. Please fix this! We have users literally adding thousands of comments every month...

Next, the comment/note tool now adds highlights just like the highlights comment type. What gives? Then what is the purpose of the highlight comment type? Should it be removed? It makes no sense to have two comment types that do the exact same thing.

In the latest update it has been degraded further, now most comments default to the same color so it is near-impossible to tell them apart. That has already lead to issues for us when we can't (easily) tell the difference between "delete" and "replace". They are now identical except for a tiny tryangle at the end.

Sure, it's "pretty" and not so "distracting" if everything has the same color. But 0 contrast is also pretty bad when trying to tell things apart... We could instruct users to manually go in and change the comment colors but this should not be nescessary.

Ps: If you want users to use the half-working PDF comment import function in InDesign we want users to use the correct comment types, right?

In short, commenting now typically take 1-2 extra clicks per comment (lot of tool switching or context menu use) compared to the older and more efficient versions of Acrobat, and it is much harder to tell the comment types apart.

...also sometimes we want to use pages/comments/bookmarks panels at the same time. It would be nice to have bookmarks on the left...

This comment may not be helpful, but I have to ask:

After 766 votes on Bevi's excellent, clear, detailed initial comments, followed by nearly 30 pages of supporting comments from many users, when Shashank Jain says "please let me know specifically what are you trying to achieve in the new UI and you're finding it difficult to find/perform"...

Are we all being trolled? 🤔😂

I just looked at the provided link. Pretty funny when the "Whats Next" section says future improvement is to make it possible to discover the Save As and Print functions.

Shashank, I think this says it all. If a user can't even find the Save As or Print, then it by definition it is a disaster.

The new interface is abominable and if Shakshank Jain doesn't know enough about software design to know that professional users on a desktop computer need something different than a casual user on a phone, I'm not quite sure why he has a job. I've already written at length and very carefully about everything that is wrong with the new interface, but I don't think he bothers to read any of the very constructive posts that are in this thread. I have reverted to the "old" interface and disallowed Adobe from doing automatic updates.

I have 15 Adobe users. Only 1 has stayed on the new version and that is because it has one improvement that fixes a specific problem they were having. So essentially 15/15 are not using the new version.

It seems unbelievable that a piece of software that is designed for high end users has been changed so that a user on a PC is massively compromised for what appears to be a design for mobile devices. Keep it simple. Buttons/menus at the top of the page, ability to modify/change the buttons/menus. Add and pin menus to the sides if the user wants. Ability to add shortcuts/hotkeys. All the things that interfaces used to have that made software fast to use. Fix the back end, add tools - go for it. But professional users need to do things fast by setting up as they want it.

Stop hiding things, stop spreading things out all over the place, stop spreading files apart in lists. We want to do work on our server/pc, quickly.

I've been using Adobe to read and edit pdfs since I was an undergraduate student. Now as a graduate student, it's nearly unusable with how much space is taken up by the toolbar being moved to the right and the bookmarks also being moved to the right.

I always do everything in split-screen, so it's even worse because everything is absurdly tiny and obscured by all these bars.

In addition to the highlight/grab bar on the left that isn't actually a floating feature, but rather just an entire bar, even more space is wasted on what could be used for visibility.

And don't even get me started with the AI.

I'll be honest, I won't be wasting time re-learning the new Adobe. I'll just be looking for other pdf and document readers that are more user-friendly with a UI that makes sense.

I hope that Adobe realizes that when you become less user-friendly and make your users jump through all sorts of hoops to use it, you lose them. And after you adjust to make them more user-friendly, you don't get those users back. They just stay with whatever more convenient and reasonable reader they found, which is exactly what I'll be doing since I just don't have time to waste trying to get used to a whole new system that doesn't make sense.
It definitely is a shame because for the longest time, Adobe was able to satisfy my needs as a student, but now that has greatly changed and has become extremely inconvenient to use. I'm honestly better off just printing out all my powerpoint slides and doing it on paper than through Adobe.

That's how bad it is.

Thank you for reading.

@Shashank Jain - From the link you shared: "So why change anything?  The reason was simple: Users were having difficulty finding and using the tools in Acrobat’s viewer (the landing page that opens on launching a PDF). To create an exceptional experience and a flexible framework in a product like Acrobat, we listened to our users in our community and considered every platform, at every size, for every tool, to develop the new Acrobat experience."

The part of this statement that stands out is "Users were having difficulty finding and using the tools in Acrobat’s viewer..." You're concerned with the viewer, but not the creators? And it is simply false that the changes made it easier to find tools.

This downgrade was launched on me without warning. My customized bar of quick tools was gone!!! Everything was hidden or moved. This is supposed to improve (buzzwords incoming) "Discoverability and fluidity"? I don't have time for a game of hide-and-seek.

And as for (buzzword incoming) "Complexity" - yes, you did a fine job of increasing the complexity of doing my job. Congrats!

The condescending tone of "get used to it, we say it's better" is almost as maddening as the day I opened a file with Adobe and was completely blindsided by the trash update. I spent too much time trying to find what I needed to do my job, and too much time searching out how to revert. The one thing Adobe did correctly was providing a way to go back.

I'm all for improving software, but this is the opposite. Keep in mind that we're not all using pads and phones to do our jobs.

Just as other's have responded to Shashank Jain, I echo the sentiment wholeheartedly! This is a failed experiment and needs to be corrected! We, the every work-a-day users cannot be burdened with a no-value-added learning curve while trying to meet deadlines! How much clearer to we need to say it? This isn't progress, it's hindrance!

As other's have said, I now live in fear of how long I'll be able to access the old Acrobat GUI to do my job. And worse than that, I've begun to wonder, if I continue to create, edit and comment on .pdf files using the old GUI, how will these files appear to my customers who know no better than to use the new Acrobat GUI to view my work? Will the way I've laid out bookmarks and links and all the forms of navigation appear the way I've intended them to? Fear and loathing doesn't begin to describe the anxiety I'm feeling right now, along with the potential lost work productivity, customer respect and the simple ability to communicate with others who are viewing my work through a wildly different lens! Please, please reverse this tragic mistake!

Everyone's responses to Shashank's post are right. We use this program every single day for our jobs and livelihood. At the VERY least, Adobe needs to make the old/current version a legacy option indefinitely. You cannot push a large scale disruption like this - not to mention, the "reasons" listed for these changes are a bunch of nothingwords like "fluidity" and "connected experience". We don't want a new learning curve at all! Your previous/current product was perfect at all of its functions. You are evolving something that doesn't meet an unmet need.

My effectiveness at my job I need to survive depends on my ability to use Adobe quickly and effectively. Employers will not be sympathetic to increased time/difficulty performing tasks because Adobe decided to push this burdensome update. Come on.

Shashank Jain suggested we check out the link to see what changed, to make our transition easier and to understand why they made these changes that turned our worlds upside down. I just spent a little time on that page, and I see a lot of "our users didn't know about certain features" and "our users had a hard time with X" to explain their reasoning.

I have 2 questions now - where are all the comments from users that say "yay you completely changed the program, now it's so much better!"? I've seen nothing like that, only comments from other users like myself who are struggling to use what worked perfectly before.
I mean, seriously.... you even moved the save icon from the left to the right. Every other program that's used in my workplace has the save icon on the left.

My second question is - how long will we be able to revert back to the version that functioned well for those of us who use Adobe all day, every day?

I'm afraid to update. I have some production deadlines I have to meet.

having the TOC on the right, as mentioned, is the biggest one. Also not being able to view "comments" pane at the same time as the table of contents means I have to switch back and forth to navigate, and then to comment. scroll bars are also necessary and there's no benefit to removing.

It's honestly insulting that you're asking for specific ideas when this comment thread has dozens of specific concerns and suggested solutions.

@Shashank Jain, The ONLY thing you have provided is an obfuscation to delay reverting Acrobat to the previous UI. There currently are 767 comments in this thread which tell you everything you need to know what we want. Bevi did a pretty straightforward job of explaining the issues, and, for the most part, the other 766 comments repeat the same comments.

The Coca-Cola company was wise enough to admit failure and cancel the "New Coke." When will Adobe realize the error of their ways and admit defeat.

This shambles of a "New Acrobat" is, and always will be, a shambles.

Please put the TOC on the left hand side where it belongs. Or at least provide a clear option for doing this. Despite claims of intrinsic benefits etc, it's counterintuitive, and unlike every other UI I'm familiar with. We dont like it.

Shashank Jain, we have all been telling you specifically the issues we've been having for over a year - just read through the hundreds of comments here.

These are just a few of my problems with it, even when I revert to the previous update:

Inability to handle complex pdf files and constantly redraws the page when you try to enlarge past 75%.

No horizontal or vertical scroll bars (extremely irritating), forcing you to use the mouse for vertical, and hand tool for horizontal, which does not work in conjunction with the edit tool.|

Ridiculous pop-up tool bars that cover the area you're trying to edit and cannot be disabled.

These are just a few of the things mentioned in this forum.

Paying professional users should not have to relearn your program every time your designers decide they want to "spruce up" the program. I do not have time in my schedule to re-educate myself about the "new" options in your program that came about only because you've decided you want to make aribtrary changes to make your program seem relevant.

If there is no discernable benefit to the user, then THE CHANGE(S) SHOULD NOT BE MADE! This, I think, is the whole point of all of our messages here. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Either give us updates that make our lives easier, or just leave things alone. And, for the love of everything good, do not tell us we need to just get used to it and then give us links to tutorials! It's not about learning curves, it's about your utter disregard for what your professional users want and need.

Counterintuitive tool placement with no added benefit to be seen, and an inability to revert to the old placement within the new update. (Users DO NOT LIKE IT when things are rearranged for no reason - it slows down their workflow and causes unnecessary irritation. ) I mean, why move tools to the left when they have always been located on the right, and vice-versa. What benefit does this give the user?