Switch Adobe Reader/Acrobat Between the New and Classic Layouts

Switch Adobe Reader/Acrobat Between the New and Classic Layouts

 

Purpose

This article explains how to switch Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat between the new Acrobat layout and the classic layout.

Some users may accidentally enable the new interface and want the older layout back. Others may want to return to the newer Adobe layout after switching away from it.

Applies To

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader

  • Adobe Acrobat

  • Windows

  • macOS

Common Symptoms

A user may report one or more of the following:

  • “Adobe Reader looks different.”

  • “The tools moved.”

  • “The menu is different.”

  • “I don’t like the new Adobe layout.”

  • “Can I get the old version back?”

  • “How do I go back to the new Adobe layout?”

This usually means Adobe has switched between the new Acrobat experience and the classic Acrobat experience.

Option 1: Switch Back to the Classic Adobe Layout

Use these steps when the user wants the older Adobe Reader/Acrobat layout back.

Windows Instructions

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat.

  2. Click Menu in the upper-left corner.

  3. Select Disable new Acrobat.

  4. When prompted, select Restart.

  5. After Adobe reopens, confirm that the classic layout is restored.

macOS Instructions

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat.

  2. Click View in the top menu bar.

  3. Select Disable new Acrobat.

  4. When prompted, select Restart.

  5. After Adobe reopens, confirm that the classic layout is restored.

Option 2: Switch to the New Adobe Layout

Use these steps when the user wants to return to the newer Adobe Reader/Acrobat layout.

Windows Instructions

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat.

  2. Click View at the top.

  3. Select Enable new Acrobat.

  4. When prompted, select Restart.

  5. After Adobe reopens, confirm that the new layout is enabled.

macOS Instructions

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat.

  2. Click View in the top menu bar.

  3. Select Enable new Acrobat.

  4. When prompted, select Restart.

  5. After Adobe reopens, confirm that the new layout is enabled.

Troubleshooting:

The option is missing

If the user does not see Enable new Acrobat or Disable new Acrobat, try the following:

  1. Close Adobe completely.

  2. Reopen Adobe.

  3. Open a PDF file.

  4. Check the Menu and View options again.

  5. Restart the computer if the option still does not appear.

Adobe looks like the menus disappeared

The user may have accidentally entered Full Screen Mode.

Have the user press:

  • Esc

or

  • Ctrl + L

This should exit Full Screen Mode and restore the normal Adobe window.

Adobe still does not look correct

If the layout does not change after restarting Adobe:

  1. Confirm whether the user is using Adobe Acrobat Reader or a browser PDF viewer.

  2. Have the user open the PDF directly in Adobe Reader/Acrobat.

  3. Restart Adobe.

  4. Restart the computer.

  5. If the issue continues, escalate to IT for further review.

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