Select Menu > Preferences.
Last updated on
Sep 23, 2025
Learn how to manage preferences for validating digital signatures in Adobe Acrobat.
You can set verification preferences for digital signatures to be valid when you open a PDF. The verification details appear with the signature. When digital signatures are validated, a signature badge appears in the document message bar to indicate the signature status.
Windows
Select Signatures under Categories.
Select More from the Verification option.
In the dialog box that opens, modify the following settings as needed:
- Verify signatures when the document is opened: Acrobat automatically validates all the signatures when a PDF is opened.
- Verification Behavior: Set the plugin to verify a signature when a PDF is opened.
- Require certificate revocation checking to succeed whenever possible during signature verification: Acrobat checks certificates against a list of excluded certificates during validation.
- Use expired timestamps: Use the time mentioned in the timestamp or embedded time in the signature even if the signature certificate has expired. If you deselect the checkbox, Acrobat discards expired timestamps.
- Verification Time: Check the time at which the signature was created or embedded in the PDF.
- Verification Information: Select when to alert the user when verification information is too large.
- Trust ALL root certificates in the Windows Certificate Store for (Windows only): Specify when to trust root certificates in the Windows certificate store.
- Validating signatures: Certificates are trusted for Acrobat Approval signature validation.
- Validating certified documents: Certificates are trusted for certification signature validation.
Note
Selecting these options may impact document security.
Select OK.
macOS
Select Acrobat > Preferences.
Select Signatures under Categories.
Select More from the Verification option.
In the dialog box that opens, modify the following settings as needed:
- Verify signatures when the document is opened: Acrobat automatically validates all the signatures when a PDF is opened.
- Verification Behavior: Set the plugin to verify a signature when a PDF is opened.
- Require certificate revocation checking to succeed whenever possible during signature verification: Acrobat checks certificates against a list of excluded certificates during validation.
- Use expired timestamps: Use the time mentioned in the timestamp or embedded time in the signature even if the signature certificate has expired. If you deselect the checkbox, Acrobat discards expired timestamps.
- Verification Time: Check the time at which the signature was created or embedded in the PDF.
- Verification Information: Select when to alert the user when verification information is too large.
- Trust ALL root certificates in the Windows Certificate Store for (Windows only): Specify when to trust root certificates in the Windows certificate store.
- Validating signatures: Certificates are trusted for Acrobat Approval signature validation.
- Validating certified documents: Certificates are trusted for certification signature validation.
Note
Selecting these options may impact document security.
Select OK.
