Setup Guide: Optimizing Adobe Reader (Disable AI & Classic View)

In this guide, we will cover two essential setup configurations for Adobe Reader: turning off the AI Assistant and reverting to the familiar Classic View interface.

1. How to Turn Off AI Assistant in Adobe Reader

If you prefer not to use the generative AI features in Adobe Reader, you can easily disable them through the preferences menu.

Access Preferences

1. Open Adobe Reader.
2. Click on the menu in the upper left corner.
3. Select Preferences from the dropdown menu.

Disable Generative AI Features

1. In the Preferences window, find and select Generative AI.
2. Uncheck all the boxes related to AI features.

Finalize Changes

1. Close your current document.
2. Reopen the document or select another PDF to ensure the AI Assistant does not reappear.

Note: Following these steps should help you permanently disable the AI Assistant in Adobe Reader. If the AI Assistant continues to show up, you may need to repeat the process after restarting the application.

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2. How to Revert to Classic View in Adobe Reader

If you find the new user interface (UI) of the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader uncomfortable, you can easily revert to the previous classic view through a simple setting. Follow the steps below according to your operating system.

Switching to Classic View on Windows

1. Click on the Menu icon (the 3-line hamburger menu) in the top-left corner of the program window.
2. Select ‘Disable New Acrobat’ from the menu options.
3. When prompted to restart the program to apply the interface change, click the ‘Restart’ button.
4. The application will close and reopen in the previous classic view.

Switching to Classic View on Mac

1. Click on the ‘View’ menu in the top menu bar.
2. Click on ‘Disable New Acrobat’ from the dropdown menu.
3. When the confirmation window appears, select ‘Restart’ to relaunch the program.

Reverting to the New Interface from Classic View

If you want to use the new design interface again later, follow these steps while in the classic view:

• Go to the top menu bar, select ‘View’ -> ‘Enable New Acrobat’, and then restart the program.

Note: For certain fixed enterprise versions (e.g., Acrobat Classic 2024), only the new interface may be provided, and the disable option might not exist in the menu. In standard free distribution versions of the Adobe Reader app, the methods above will work normally.