Remove or prevent sidebar from opening by default on Adobe Reader

Question

In Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, presently 2015.007.20033, how do I prevent the sidebar from opening by default?

It's not so bad when a PDF document is in portrait mode, but opening one in landscape takes up too much real estate.

February 1, 2017 update

The previously accepted answer is no longer correct for newer versions of Adobe.

Please refer to the new answer for newer versions of Adobe; both Windows and Mac.

score 195 · Answer 1 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:17

195

As of Feb 1, 2017: Adobe Reader DC changed its interface. Please see newly accepted answer: https://superuser.com/a/1173789/259665

For versions c. 2015/2016:

In the 15.008.20082 release (July 14, 2015), Adobe addressed this with a setting! Here's how to change this:

Go to Edit > Preferences (or press Ctrl+K) and under “Documents” section, uncheck “Open tools pane for each document”.

adobe preferences > documents > Open Settings

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:17

Community

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answered Jul 19 '15 at 21:12

Chris Betti

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Is there any way to COMPLETELY hide the pane? Technically the pane collapses to a narrow pane, not disappears. The problem is that, the collapsed pane is still quite wide (with my high DPI setting, it looks like 0.5 cm on my monitor) and is right next to the scroll bar. It is very easy to click it accidentally when I tried to click the scroll bar, and when it is clicked the tools pane opens. In previous versions, the hide/expand button was on the top-right of the window, which did not cause this kind of problem. – Damn Vegetables Sep 17 '15 at 09:03
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It didn't worked for me, until I first hide it manually in the document that was open, then went to the setting, checked and unchecked it again, accepted, and closed the document. Running latest version 1/Oct/2015 on Win10. – vicenteherrera Oct 01 '15 at 08:11
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@Everyone, who has a non-English Adobe Reader DC Version: Initially, I had the German version. It does *not* have this option. I could only disable the sidebar after switching the UI language to English. – Ching Chong Oct 02 '15 at 12:57
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This setting doesn't work for me. I'm running Windows 7 64-bit, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (15.009.20071), no updates pending. Whether I manually hide the tools pane, and then uncheck this box, or even start the AcroRd32.exe via "Run as Administrator" and do the same, the setting has no effect on documents that I open subsequently. It remains unchecked, but simply does not hide this pane. Any ideas? Anyone else have this problem? I'd prefer not to use the hacks below. – Michael Repucci Oct 27 '15 at 16:48
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@MichaelRepucci Uninstall Adobe Reader, run CCleaner, reboot, install Adobe Reader, and try the checkbox again. If that doesn't work then you might need to post your own question on http://superuser.com – MonkeyZeus Nov 03 '15 at 21:14
There is no such setting: https://i.imgur.com/ST4pOO1.png – Dims Nov 24 '18 at 15:40

Run5k · Accepted Answer · 2023-08-28T12:48:02.253

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Newer versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (currently at 23.003.20284) have changed both the wording and the function within Preferences. Instead of unchecking the option to open the Tools Pane by default, the application will now remember whether it was shown or hidden previously.

Before you change your preferences, open Acrobat Reader and from the Menu Bar and navigate to View > Show/Hide > Tools Pane to hide it accordingly.

More recent iterations of of Acrobat Reader DC will still display a set of icons near the right side of your PDF document after you hide the Tools Pane. However, you can easily hide them by clicking on the icon at the bottom-right that allows you to Hide Task Pane.

Once that is done, use the Menu Bar to select Edit > Preferences and in the subsequent window highlight Documents on the upper-left. Check the box to Remember current state of Tools Pane and then select the OK button.

edited Aug 28 '23 at 12:48

answered Feb 01 '17 at 01:00

Run5k

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In the version I tried on (version 11.0.4, "Acrobat Reader XI" - company-supplied), both *"Tools Pane"*, *"Page Controls"*, and *"Button Labels"* are absent from the "Show/Hide" sub menu (for a total of four items, instead of seven). Thus, I can not chose *"Tools Pane"*. – Peter Mortensen Mar 03 '17 at 09:54
@PeterMortensen, that's unfortunate. To be honest, I haven't actually seen an *Acrobat Reader XI* interface in quite some time, since *Acrobat Reader DC* was released in mid-2015. At the moment, the [latest version of Acrobat Reader XI is 11.0.19](http://supportdownloads.adobe.com/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Windows) and missing 15 security updates related to Acrobat software could be problematic. Hopefully your company will update to the newest version sometime soon. – Run5k Mar 03 '17 at 13:08
for me it was (shift+f4) remember to press fn in case! – Akam Jul 15 '17 at 12:14
+1, but doesn't quite work for me in 19.010.20098. Instead, ignore the bit about `view > show/hide > tools pane`, and manually turn off *both* of those incredibly irritating sidebars with the little arrow keys on them. Now set 'Remember current state of tools pane'. Docs now open with *no* sidebars. – EML Mar 27 '19 at 09:42
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Make sure you close all tabs except one then try this. In my case, it seemed to get confused when doing the above despite all tabs having minimized toolbars. – 8bitme Mar 19 '20 at 14:11
To "click" that last arrow to completely hide the tools pane if you can't use a mouse, use F6 until that pane is selected then use your keyboard arrows and hit enter. – Levi Baguley Dec 16 '21 at 17:39

score 42 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 22 '15 at 08:16

42

Apparently, there is no setting for this in the Preferences or anywhere else. So we're all stuck with the "Tools Pane" (this is what Adobe calls it) with every new document we open.

There is a keyboard shortcut to hide/reveal it: Shift-F4 will do the trick. Of course that is nowhere near a solution for this issue, not even a workaround, but still.

Like many other users I think the inability to hide the Tools Pane by default is ridiculous, so let's file bug reports with Adobe en masse using this URL: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

answered Apr 22 '15 at 08:16

Maarten

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The Tools pane can be eliminated by deleting files as indicated in [this answer](http://superuser.com/a/624650/329169). – Kevin Thibedeau Jun 16 '15 at 20:35
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@KevinThibedeau, note the less destructive method here http://superuser.com/a/918966/16966, no file deletion or loss of functionality needed. – matt wilkie Jul 10 '15 at 18:51
Shift-F4 also leaves small version of Tools Pane – Dims Nov 24 '18 at 15:42

score 42 · Answer 4 · answered May 24 '15 at 17:13

42

A less destructive method of resolving this was posted in Adobe's forums: How do I remove the right hand pane in Reader DC.

The solution is edit the XML file "Adobe/Acrobat Reader DC/Reader/AcroApp/ENU/Viewer.aapp" to contain only this:

<Application xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/acrobat/app/2014" title="Viewer" id="Viewer" majorVersion="1" requiresDoc="true" minorVersion="0">
</Application>

This will result in the Tools Pane being hidden by default, but without the loss of functionality (and potential crashes) as is the case with the method involving moving files.

answered May 24 '15 at 17:13

ShastriH

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Nice. Just in case this also works on OS X, for anyone doing the above: this may break its digital signature then. But I guess that only affects firewall settings, if Reader would need to be allowed to accept incoming connections. And I doubt Reader would need those, so no problem, I guess. – Arjan May 24 '15 at 17:44
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Great answer. It also looks like you could use this to make a new default, say if you wanted the left-hand pane opened to "Page Thumbnails" or the like. – CBono Jun 01 '15 at 03:17
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In the file path, "ENU" refers to locale. So, you need to edit the file from the path of your current locale. In my case was "ESP" (Spanish). It works, thanks! – IvanRF Jun 17 '15 at 18:04
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Thank you ! In windows OS works perfectly. Besides, for different locales, you have different folders, change them all. An you can comment the inside with , like: – Nuno Aniceto Jul 06 '15 at 15:39
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I looked for reference docs on the `Viewer.aapp` file, thinking an increase in elegance of this approach would be to add something like `` to `` element. I failed, but did locate [DC Tools Customization](https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/PrefRef/Windows/AcroApps.html) which describes related Windows registry entries and might eventually lead to something else closer to what we're after. – matt wilkie Jul 10 '15 at 19:17
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This is better than moving files, as it doesn't crash Reader due to missing files. Reader also doesn't misbehave. It also has the added advantage of **hiding that scrub bar** which remains when you hide the right sidebar pane. (Note that the scrub bar is only hidden when Reader is launched by opening a PDF. If you switch to Home, Tools and switch back to Document, or open a PDF from within a *running* instance of Reader, the bar will be shown though the pane is hidden.) BTW I found that you only need to comment out the `...` part. – ADTC Jul 23 '15 at 08:07

score 16 · Answer 5 · edited Apr 27 '15 at 21:20

16

There is a workaround that may work. It involves removing some files (adobe applets) to another directory.

User jerryANDtom pointed it out in a thread on the Adobe forum:

Go to the install directory, i.e. C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroApp\ENU
Create a new subfolder (I used Disabled).
Move three files from the ENU folder into the new Disabled folder: AppCenter_R.aapp, Home.aapp and Viewer.aapp.
Open a PDF and no more Tool Pane!

edited Apr 27 '15 at 21:20

micke

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answered Apr 27 '15 at 20:30

Glauco Aquino

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There are definitely side effects, one is a crash when you select the commenting tool and close the comment pane (which leads to the tools shortcut pane to be displayed) v15.009 – Martin Dec 09 '15 at 15:49

score 8 · Answer 6 · answered Apr 29 '15 at 23:57

@Glauco Aquino

Great answer! Just in case there are any Mac users with the same problem, the same steps can be applied to Mac OS X, originally posted by myself on the same thread on the Adobe forum.

Just ensure you've properly closed and quit the "Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.app" application first:

Open Finder, navigate to Applications

Right-click on "Adobe Acrobat Reader DC" and select "Show Package Contents"

Navigate to /Contents/Resources/AcroApp/ENU/ (or whatever 3-letter language code you're using)

*** Create a new folder. Name the folder "Disabled".

*** Move the following 3 files into the "Disabled" folder: AppCenter_R.aapp; Home.aapp; Viewer.aapp If you're doing this via mouse drag-and-drop, ensure you hold down the Command key, to ensure the files are moved and not copied.

Close Finder, and launch Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

*** You may have to authorise these actions with your administrator password.

score 8 · Answer 7 · answered Aug 19 '15 at 19:17

8

This annoying feature can also be disabled by altering the following registry setting:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\AVGeneral]
"bRHPSticky"=dword:00000001

However it may seem strange, the value 1 means that the right-hand pane is disabled (hidden) by default. It corresponds to “Open tools pane for each document”, under “Documents” section in “Edit > Preferences”.

answered Aug 19 '15 at 19:17

Ondrej Tucny

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What is the point of doing this when you can do the same thing by going into `Preferences` inside `Acrobat`? – CJ7 Nov 28 '16 at 02:28
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@CJ7 Automation. For example, import the setting into multiple PCs by means of group policy in a corporate environment. – Ondrej Tucny Nov 28 '16 at 08:06
Source : https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/how-to-permanently-close-the-tools-pane-in-adobe-acrobat-dc.html – deltonio2 Aug 08 '19 at 18:01

score 4 · Answer 8 · edited Sep 03 '15 at 16:12

4

The Tools bar is somewhat confusing and I didn't like them. I wish there was a permanent way to remove them from Preferences/Settings.

For the current Adobe Reader DC running instance, there is a way to hide the tool bar. Try the "Read Mode (Ctrl+H)" command. This will make the Tools bar disappear for the current session.

I wish Adobe Team adds this setting somewhere under Preferences in future updates of the product.

edited Sep 03 '15 at 16:12

MonkeyZeus

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answered Sep 03 '15 at 15:55

kamleshrao

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I see. Thank you for your suggestion, the shortcut which you mention is certainly helpful. As for the permanent solution you seek, is there anything wrong with **[this answer](http://superuser.com/a/942640/259665)**? – MonkeyZeus Sep 03 '15 at 16:06
There is nothing wrong in that answer. But It still leaves the Sidebar hidden with a thin column at the right side. This column contains arrow (<) to expand this section again. Keeping a UI element very close to scrollbar is not a good idea (My personal feedback - based on my long term relationship with Microsoft Windows) :-) I am used to move my mouse to extreme right of the screen to use scroll bar. But with Adobe Reader DC hidden sidebar, I mistakenly click on the Sidebar instead of the scrollbar. – kamleshrao Sep 03 '15 at 16:10

score 3 · Answer 9 · edited Jan 09 '17 at 18:24

3

Changing preferences in Acrobat Reader DC (2015.020.20039) didn't work for me either.

Setting registry key:

HKCU\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\Access bOverridePageLayout (default value 0)

to 1 did the trick!

edited Jan 09 '17 at 18:24

MonkeyZeus

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answered Jan 08 '17 at 17:20

AZCAR

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score 1 · Answer 10 · edited Mar 01 '19 at 14:15

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I don't have the option to Open tools pane for each document, or Remember current state of Tools Pane. I'm using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 2015.006.3033.

I did some digging and found if you edit the file C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat 2015\Acrobat\AcroApp\ENU\Viewer.aapp . If you use  to comment out <Layouts>. Relaunch Adobe it looks to work.

This would leave the file looking like this:

<Application xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/acrobat/app/2014" title="Viewer" id="Viewer" majorVersion="1" requiresDoc="true" minorVersion="0">
    <!--
    <Layouts>
        <Layout name="Default">
            <RHP>
                <Component name="AppShortcutListView" type="Custom"/>
            </RHP>
        </Layout>
    </Layouts>
    -->
</Application>

Reference.

edited Mar 01 '19 at 14:15

Run5k

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answered Mar 01 '19 at 13:48

Nixphoe

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To clarify, Adobe didn't really change it again. The original question specifically emphasizes how to do this in Adobe Acrobat **Reader**, not Acrobat **Pro**. There are minor interface differences between the two versions. I double-check that the accepted solution still works *every time* that Adobe updates Acrobat Reader DC. – Run5k Mar 01 '19 at 14:14
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I am sure that Pro users will also stumble upon my question in hopes of a solution so I appreciate this unique answer. What's interesting is that someone made a [comment](https://superuser.com/questions/902758/remove-or-prevent-sidebar-from-opening-by-default-on-adobe-reader/1410471#comment1272528_918966) similar to your answer a few years ago. I have no clue if it's 100% interchangeable but having multiple possible solutions around Adobe's shenanigans is always a good thing! – MonkeyZeus Mar 03 '19 at 18:32

CodeLurker · Answer 11 · 2023-03-30T23:03:35.507

-1

I tried Adobe Acrobat Reader vers. 23.001.20064; but every technique I tried didn't work. They are quite adamant about spamming you with their Tools Pane with every document you open. (They are also quite adamant about not letting you disable automatic updates.) I suggest an alternative PDF reader, like Foxit or SumatraPDF; but for the few documents, e.g. our state taxes, that require the actual Acrobat Reader, the only solution I found was drop back to an older version, from a slightly less insipid time: vers. 2021.001.20155. The install file is named AcroRdrDC2100120155_en_US.exe. The closest version I could find of it onine was here. That's a 2021 version, instead of 2023. In the 2021 version, checking "Remember current state of Tools Pane" actually does something besides blowing smoke up behind you.

edited Mar 30 '23 at 23:03

answered Mar 30 '23 at 22:48

CodeLurker

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I found a way to hide it in the latest version: First, click on the vertical button ▶ so that the panel turns into a column of icons, and then click on the bottom icon, which looks like |→. Also need to check on the box Remember current state of Tools Pane (Edit > Preferences > Documents) – ViH May 01 '23 at 18:41
@ViH can you please explain in more detail what you mean? I don't know where the "vertical button" is or what panel you are referring to. – mhdadk Jun 03 '23 at 18:46
@mhdadk, you can see the "▶" in the screenshot of the first post above the word "stahp". – ViH Jun 05 '23 at 05:41

Remove or prevent sidebar from opening by default on Adobe Reader

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