Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Acrobat 2020

Acrobat 2020 is the latest perpetual version of Acrobat. It's the complete desktop solution for working with PDF documents. Acrobat 2020 simplifies everyday PDF tasks and includes many productivity enhancements when working with PDFs from your desktop.

You can work with Acrobat 2020 on the desktop only. Alternatively, purchase an Acrobat subscription to take advantage of extra capabilities made possible by Adobe Document Cloud services.

Here are just a few things that you can do with Acrobat 2020:

Instantly edit scanned documents: Turn paper scans into editable PDFs with automatic font matching, so new edits blend right in.
Create protected PDFs: Create high-quality PDF files from Acrobat or popular Microsoft® Office apps. Add restrictions to prevent others from copying, editing, or printing sensitive information.
Edit PDF text and images: Use a familiar point-and-click interface to edit PDF documents intuitively— right within Acrobat.
Export PDFs to Office: Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint formats while preserving fonts, formatting, and layouts.
Work with Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive: Access, edit, and store files in your Dropbox, Box, or Microsoft® OneDrive account while working in Acrobat 2020.
Sign anything: Fill, sign, and send forms fast with smart autofill.
Delete sensitive information: Find and get rid of text, images, or even metadata—permanently.

Here are some of the new things that you can do with Acrobat Pro 2020 on the desktop:

Reasons to upgrade from Acrobat 2017 perpetual:

Improved accessibility feature updates and improved workflow experiences for customers who use Acrobat to enhance PDFs for people with disabilities
New home view, giving users a single place to organize, manage, and search for their PDFs
Ability to open files protected with Microsoft® Information Protection (MIP) solutions
A new color customization capability in the Fill & Sign tool
Improved Pen tool using “DirectInk” technology, allowing users to write and draw more smoothly and accurately in their PDF
Functionalities for the touch bar built in MacBook pro
Ability to run OCR (optical character recognition) on scanned documents with live text
Ability to use preflight libraries to get customized sets of profiles, checks, and corrections

With a subscription to Acrobat Pro, you’ll get all the Acrobat Pro 2020 features plus:

Get a consistent user experience across desktop, browser, and mobile devices
Fill and sign forms on the go from your browser or iOS device
Create, combine, and export PDFs from your browser or mobile device
Send documents for signature from your desktop, browser, or mobile device
Send, track, and confirm the delivery of documents that are sent electronically
Collect everyone’s feedback in a single file, set deadlines, and schedule reminders. And you get notified when others work on your documents.
Combine multiple files to PDF, and organize pages from your browser
Sync preferences across computers
Add or edit text on a tablet or mobile device
Reorder, delete or rotate pages on an iOS or Android™ device
Store and access files securely online with up to 100GB of storage
Access and edit PDF files hosted on online file management services, such as Dropbox, Microsoft® SharePoint, OneDrive, Box, and Google Drive across desktop, web, and mobile.
Get ongoing access to new features, security updates, and upgrades at no additional charge

Adobe Acrobat includes desktop products, free mobile apps, and free online services available through Adobe Document Cloud.

Desktop products for Windows:

Desktop products for macOS:

Mobile apps:

Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android™ or iOS
Adobe Fill & Sign for Android™ or iOS
Adobe Acrobat Sign for Android™ or iOS
Adobe Scan for Android™ or iOS

Web app:

Adobe Document Cloud

See the Adobe Product Catalog to discover purchase options for Adobe Acrobat.

Yes, many Acrobat tools and utilities are available to streamline enterprise deployments and help control IT costs. To learn more, visit the IT resources page.

For information and tutorials on how to use the new features and functionality in Acrobat, visit Acrobat Learn and Support.

Activation is a required process by which Adobe validates that your software is genuine and being used as allowed by your product license agreement. It’s intended to protect both your rights as a consumer and Adobe’s rights as a software developer. Activation also helps confirm that the software you bought isn’t counterfeit.

Acrobat products automatically attempt to activate over the Internet. During activation, no personal information is transmitted. Each single-user license enables Acrobat to be installed on two computers at any given time. See the Adobe software activation page for more information.

If your organization has computers that can’t be online for activation, IT administrators can set an offline exception using Adobe Customization wizard. Learn more about IT resources.

See the Acrobat technical specifications page for information.

See the Adobe Document Cloud Language Tiers page for information.

Adobe Document Cloud services work with Acrobat desktop, web, and mobile apps to help you stay connected – and stay productive – wherever you are.

Sign up for free Adobe Document Cloud services to get these advantages:

Adobe Document Cloud storage: Store and access files online with 2GB of free storage
Fill & Sign: Fill and e-sign forms quickly with instant access to your personal autofill collection across desktop, web, and mobile

Purchase an Acrobat Standard, or Adobe Acrobat Pro subscription to perform essential PDF tasks using a web browser or mobile device and enhance the functionality of Acrobat desktop software.

Create PDF: Convert documents, images or photos into PDF files (web and mobile)
Export PDF: Turn PDFs into editable Microsoft® Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or RTF files (web and mobile)
Edit PDF: Add or edit text in a PDF on iPhone, iPad, Android™ phone, Android tablet, or Chromebook with Android™ support (with Acrobat Pro subscription only)
Organize PDF: Reorder, delete, or rotate pages in a PDF (web and mobile with Acrobat Pro subscription only)
Combine PDF: Combine multiple files into a single PDF (web only)
Share Files for viewing or review: Simplify and speed document reviews with the new Document Cloud review service. Send one link to collect everyone's comments in a single PDF file online and stay informed of progress
Send for Signature: Send documents for signature and then track, manage, and store them online (this service supports desktop, web, and mobile functionality)
Fill & Sign: Fill and e-sign forms quickly with instant access to your personal autofill collection (this service supports desktop, web, and mobile functionality)
Adobe Document Cloud storage: Store and access files online with up to 100GB of storage

No. Acrobat 2020 desktop software can be used by itself, without taking advantage of Adobe Document Cloud services.

The first time you open Acrobat 2020 desktop software, you’ll need an Internet connection for software activation. After that, you’ll be able to work offline with ease.

Acrobat 2020 desktop software doesn't run in the cloud – it's locally installed software running on your desktop. It can connect to free Document Cloud services to provide a richer array of features and capabilities. However, if your company prohibits software that connects to the cloud, talk to your IT administrator. Acrobat settings can be customized to remove access to the cloud services. Learn more about IT resources.

Yes. At Adobe, the security of your digital experiences is our priority. Industry standard security practices are deeply ingrained into our internal culture, software development, and service operations processes. Whether related to identity management, data confidentiality, or document integrity, Adobe Document Cloud employs industry-standard security practices to protect your documents, data, and personal information. For additional information about our security practices, the Adobe Secure Product Lifecycle, or Adobe Document Cloud solution security, see www.adobe.com/security.

The free Adobe Acrobat Reader Mobile app makes it easy to view and interact with PDF files from anywhere on your Android™, iOS, or Windows devices. It also lets you unlock premium Document Cloud features when you purchase a subscription to Adobe Acrobat Standard or Adobe Acrobat Pro. Learn more about the Acrobat Reader mobile app. Or, download it from Google Play or the iTunes App Store.

The Adobe Acrobat Sign mobile app is a free, stand-alone app that works as a mobile companion to Acrobat Sign, which is included in Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Pro, and Adobe Document Cloud for enterprise subscription plans. Acrobat Sign lets you conduct complete business transactions on the go. With it, you can send, sign, track, and manage signed documents from your iOS or Android™ device. It’s also the ideal tool for collecting e-signatures in person from a client or customer. Acrobat Sign works independently of the Acrobat Reader Mobile app. You can download it from Google Play or the iTunes App Store.

Adobe Fill & Sign is a free mobile app that can operate as a standalone app, or with Acrobat Reader mobile app. While Acrobat Reader lets you work with fillable PDF forms and draw a signature with your finger, Fill & Sign gives you an easy way to work with paper forms or PDFs that haven’t been optimized for form filling. You can download it from Google Play or the iTunes App Store. With Fill & Sign on an iPad or Android™ tablet device, you can:

Open a PDF file, take a photo, or pick an image from your mobile device
Type answers right onto the form, or accept autofill suggestions
Sign your form by typing or drawing your signature, or using an image
Edit your personal autofill collection so you don’t have to retype frequently used information each time you complete a new form

The free Adobe Scan mobile app makes it easy to capture and work with scans from anywhere using your Android™ and iOS devices. Quickly scan anything — receipts, notes, documents, business cards, whiteboards — and transform your images into searchable, high-quality Adobe PDFs.

Both Acrobat Reader and Adobe scan apps use a similar scanning engine. However, the stand-alone Adobe Scan app contains more features, for example, automatic scanning and text recognition (OCR) capabilities.

Yes. Adobe is committed to helping enterprise customers meet the demand for mobile business productivity solutions while safeguarding enterprise security and compliance. The Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Sign mobile apps both support the Android for Work EMM platform, and Adobe Acrobat Reader for Microsoft® Intune is available for iOS and Android™. Acrobat Reader also supports the AppConfig platform. Learn more about IT resources.

No, but Acrobat Reader for mobile includes essential PDF tools, including the most popular Acrobat features. With Acrobat Reader on Android™ or iOS devices, you can edit, organize, create, export, sign, and send PDFs with ease. Learn more about Acrobat Reader for mobile.

Acrobat 2020 is offered as a one-time desktop purchase.

Get Acrobat Pro 2020 or Acrobat Standard 2020 for your desktop only. Special upgrade pricing is available for Acrobat perpetual software owners. Select an Adobe store to order Acrobat 2020 products or contact an Adobe Authorized Reseller. To purchase Acrobat 2020 for your organization, learn more about Acrobat volume licensing.

If you own Acrobat 2017 perpetual software, you qualify for a reduced price upgrade when purchasing a perpetual (one-time) license. A one-time purchase includes desktop software and lets you work with free Adobe Document Cloud services only.

No, there is not. However, you can download a trial version of Acrobat Pro desktop software for Windows or Mac. Acrobat trial software lets you take advantage of all the powerful features built in the desktop software for Windows or Mac. Although Document Cloud services are not included automatically, you can sign up for a free Adobe Document Cloud services account. Complete Document Cloud services are available with subscription plans only. The trial software is available in English, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. Read the trial FAQ.

Yes, Adobe is committed to delivering various Acrobat software purchase options to meet customer requirements. The Acrobat family of products will continue to be available via a perpetual software (desktop-only) license. It is sold through volume licensing programs such as the Transactional Licensing Program, Cumulative Licensing Program, and through retail and e-tail stores via product key cards and digital delivery.

No changes have been made to the availability of Upgrade Plan under the Cumulative Licensing Program for Acrobat. Also, there are no planned changes currently.

When you subscribe to Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Standard, you pay a low monthly fee to get:

Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Standard desktop software, respectively – including new features and services updates on an ongoing basis.
Full access to premium Adobe Document Cloud services, which let you complete a wide variety of PDF tasks with the Acrobat Reader mobile app or your web browser, including storing and sharing files online. Document Cloud services also enable complete workflows for editing, sending, e-signing, tracking, and managing documents. You can also access PDF files hosted on online file management services, such as Dropbox, Microsoft® SharePoint, OneDrive, Box, and Google Drive. And when you subscribe, you get ongoing access to the latest features, security updates, and upgrades at no extra cost.

When you buy an Acrobat 2020 perpetual license as a one-time purchase, you get:

Acrobat Pro 2020 or Acrobat Standard 2020 desktop software.
If you sign up for a free Adobe Document Cloud account, you can also work with the Acrobat Reader mobile app or your web browser to complete basic PDF tasks, including storing and sharing files online.

Contact an Adobe authorized reseller to purchase Acrobat 2020 through the Transactional Licensing Program or Cumulative Licensing Program, or request a contact from Adobe to learn about Adobe Document Cloud for enterprise plans.

Contact an Adobe Authorized Reseller, or request a contact from Adobe Enterprise sales.

Adobe Acrobat Pro 2020 simplifies everyday PDF tasks and includes many productivity enhancements when working with PDFs from your desktop.

The most significant changes from Acrobat 2017 perpetual:

Improved accessibility feature updates and improved workflow experiences for customers who use Acrobat to enhance PDFs for people with disabilities
New home view, giving users a single place to organize, manage, and search for their PDFs
Ability to open files protected with Microsoft® Information Protection (MIP) solutions
A new color customization capability in the Fill & Sign tool
Improved Pen tool using “DirectInk” technology, allowing users to write and draw more smoothly and accurately in their PDF
Functionalities for the touch bar built in MacBook pro
Ability to run OCR (optical character recognition) on scanned documents with live text
Ability to use preflight libraries to get customized sets of profiles, checks, and corrections

With a subscription to Acrobat Pro, you’ll get all the Acrobat Pro 2020 features plus:

Get a consistent user experience across desktop, browser, and mobile devices
Fill and sign forms on the go from your browser or iOS device
Create, combine, and export PDFs from your browser or mobile device
Send documents for signature from your desktop, browser, or mobile device
Send, track, and confirm the delivery of documents sent electronically
Collect everyone’s feedback in a single file, set deadlines, and schedule reminders. And you get notified when others take action on your documents.
Combine multiple files to PDF, and organize pages from your browser
Sync preferences across computers
Add or edit text on a tablet or mobile device
Reorder, delete, or rotate pages on an iOS or Android™ device
Store and access files securely online with up to 100GB of storage
Access PDF files hosted on online file management services, such as Dropbox, Microsoft® SharePoint, OneDrive, Box, and Google Drive
Get ongoing access to new features, security updates, and upgrades at no additional charge

Acrobat 2020 is originally a 32-bit app. However, it includes OS compatibility features that enable it to run on 64-bit operating systems. For more information, see System Requirements for Acrobat Pro 2020, Acrobat Standard 2020.

Like Protected Mode in Acrobat Reader, Protected View is an implementation of “sandboxing” technology for the rich Acrobat feature set. In Acrobat 2020, Adobe extends the functionality of Protected View beyond blocking write-based attacks that attempt to execute malicious code on your computer system using the PDF file format to read-based attacks that attempt to steal your sensitive data or intellectual property via PDF files.

Just like Protected Mode, Protected View confines the execution of untrusted programs (for example, any PDF file and the processes it calls) to a restricted sandbox. It prevents malicious code from using PDF from writing to or reading from your computer’s file system. Protected View assumes all PDF files are potentially malicious and confines processing to the sandbox unless you specifically indicate that a file is trusted.

Acrobat 2020 integrates seamlessly with Office 365, Office 2013, Office 2010, and Office 2007 applications.

From Windows environments, you can:

Create high-quality Adobe PDFs from the Acrobat task ribbon in Office apps (Microsoft® Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook).
Add protection to PDFs created from the Acrobat ribbon in Office to restrict others from copying or editing sensitive content.
Use the Acrobat ribbon in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint to execute many steps at once. Quickly email a PDF file, protect it with a password, set file usage restrictions, or send out a file for shared review. In Acrobat Pro 2020, you can also create a PDF and immediately run a preset Action to run predefined tasks. For example, you can run a task to prepare a document for archiving or public distribution.
Use the Send & Track plug-in for Microsoft® Outlook to send large or small files to others. You can set tracking options to get notified when people view your file (Acrobat subscription only)
Import comments from a PDF file into the source Word document as markups that can be accepted or rejected with the Microsoft® Word Track Changes tool.
Simplify email search and retrieval. Archive emails or email folders from Microsoft Outlook with one-button ease.
Create high-quality Adobe PDFs directly from Microsoft® Project or Visio.

More ways to work with Microsoft® tools:

Use the Acrobat ribbon in Microsoft® Word for Mac to create high-quality PDF files, complete with interactive links.
Work in Acrobat 2020 to turn existing PDFs into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files with industry-leading formatting accuracy. Keep layouts, bulleted lists, and tables intact for easy editing in Office applications.
Work with Windows® 10 touch-enabled devices
Use your finger or a hardware pen to draw and write more smoothly on PDFs on Windows 10 devices using Microsoft®'s DirectInk technology.
Capture web pages as PDF files with a single click from Microsoft® Internet Explorer. Convert all or part of the page, keeping links, layouts, and formatting intact.

Yes. From SharePoint document libraries, you can:

Open a PDF file, edit it in Acrobat, and save it back into the repository.
Turn any repository file into a PDF and save it
Turn any repository file into a PDF and email it
Combine multiple files into a single PDF

You can also automate processes by hosting shared document reviews or data collection for PDF forms on Office 365 or your SharePoint server.

Yes, Acrobat 2020 works with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft® Windows. For more information, see System requirements for Acrobat Pro 2020, Acrobat Standard 2020.

Adobe actively supports Acrobat and Acrobat 2020. Learn more about Supported Product Versions.

Registered owners of the current version of Acrobat are eligible to receive person-to-person support on issues related to installation and products, with affordable per-incident support prices. Visit the Acrobat Help page for more support information, including worldwide telephone support numbers, Knowledgebase articles, and tutorials — available free of charge. The Acrobat Help page also provides detailed information on common Acrobat issues.

As a perpetual (one-time) license, you’ll get bug fixes and security updates throughout the supported lifecycle of the product. Acrobat 2020 uses a quarterly update cadence to deliver security and platform enhancements and bug fixes only. It doesn’t provide access to new or enhanced features, and enables access to free Adobe Document Cloud services only. IT administrators can stop Document Cloud services if desired. Learn more.

For organizations that prefer to manage their updates on their own schedule, Acrobat also provides flexible tools for IT administrators. Learn more about IT resources.

Acrobat 2020 supports ISO 32000-1, the open standard maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Acrobat 2020 supports the creation and validation of these workflow-specific PDF standards:

PDF/A for archiving (ISO 19005): PDF/A-1a, PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2a, PDF/A-2b, PDF/A-2u, PDF/A-3a, PDF/A-3b, and PDF/A-3u
PDF/E in Acrobat Pro 2020 for engineering (ISO 24517): PDF/E-1
PDF/X for print production (ISO 15930): PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, PDF/X-4, PDF/X-4p, PDF/X-5g, and PDF/X-5pg
PDF/VT in Acrobat Pro 2020 for variable data and transactional printing (ISO 16612-2): PDF/VT-1 and PDF/VT-2

PDF/A provides specifications for creating, viewing, and printing digital documents for long-term preservation. Records managers, archivists, and industry-compliance professionals can use Acrobat 2020 to preserve and help protect final documents of record as self-contained files.

PDF/E provides specifications for creating, viewing, and printing documents used in engineering workflows. Architects, engineers, construction professionals, and manufacturing product teams can use Acrobat Pro 2020 to facilitate the exchange of documentation and drawings with others in the supply chain. It can also help streamline the review and markup of documents.

PDF/X provides specifications for creating, viewing, and printing final print-ready or press-ready pages. This standard provides guidelines for PDF settings that affect critical aspects of printing, such as color space and trapping. Print professionals, graphic designers, and other creative professionals can use Acrobat 2020 to create and deliver predictable, press-ready PDF/X-compliant files.

PDF/VT provides specifications for creating, viewing, and printing files such as bank statements and business invoices used in the variable data and transactional printing industry. Professionals who work with large documents containing variable data can use Acrobat Pro 2020 to ensure that their files comply with this international standard.

Yes. Acrobat 2020 supports the creation and use of PDF in compliance with these additional standards and initiatives:

PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility): PDF/UA is an ISO standard (ISO 14289-1) that helps clarify PDF-specific technical requirements. It ensures that conforming PDF ISO 32000-1 files are accessible and usable to all, including users who rely on assistive technology.
W3C Web Content accessibility guidelines (WCAG): Adobe participates in the WCAG working group at the W3C to help develop the technology-independent WCAG 2.0 standard and advisory techniques. The guidelines and techniques help authors and developers meet this accessibility standard.
PAdES (ETSI): PDF advanced electronic signatures provides specifications to help ensure compliance with digital signature standards in the European Union. Adobe Acrobat 2020 supports PAdES Parts 2, 3, and 4.

Acrobat 2020 helps address the needs of both users with disabilities and authors of accessible content. Using Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Standard, virtually anyone can create accessible PDF documents that others can view using Adobe Acrobat Reader. It helps users with disabilities more easily access and use PDF files and forms across multiple languages.

Using Acrobat Pro 2020, Acrobat Standard 2020, or Acrobat Reader on Windows®, users and authors can:

Customize accessibility preferences with an easy-to-use wizard
Work with magnifiers
Read PDFs out loud using built-in functions or working with professional screen-reading software
Set high-contrast colors for better visibility
Read text easier in high contrast mode with dynamic background adjustment
Enable large-type display by setting text to reflow through pages

Using Acrobat Pro 2020 or Acrobat Reader on Mac, users can:

Work with the voice-over screen reader on Mac OS X computers
Work with magnifiers
Set high-contrast colors for better visibility
Read text easier in high contrast mode with dynamic background adjustment
Enable large-type display by setting text to reflow through pages
In addition, authors can use Acrobat Pro 2020 to make PDF files more accessible:
Add tags to control reading order and improve navigation
Verify and adjust reading order for pages or columns of text
Validate standards-compliant PDF documents, check for possible accessibility problems, and adjust files to meet accessibility standards
Take advantage of enhanced tools to support the creation of PDF documents that meet WCAG 2.0 and PDF/UA standards
Use the make accessible guided action to more easily prepare, verify, and fix standards-compliant accessible PDF files

Learn more at the Adobe Accessibility Resource Center.

Adobe is committed to accessibility and strives to address it in its products and services. U.S. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology and provide new opportunities for people with disabilities. It also encourages the development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. Adobe Acrobat 2020 features that support accessibility for people with disabilities are summarized in the Adobe Acrobat Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT).

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