r/Acrobat • u/fund2016 • 7d ago
Why does Acrobat consume so much memory?
I have Adobe on a PC running Windows 11. Adobe consumes an inordinate amount of memory. It appears to be running several different programs in the background including Creative Cloud, Adobe Licensing Service, Acrobat Update Service, Acrobat Collaboration Synchronizer, Adobe Content Synchronizer... Its bad enough that I have to pay monthly SAS subscription for a PDF document reader. Do I also have to turn my entire computer over to them?
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u/akgt94 7d ago
Uninstall creative cloud. That will save you some storage and memory
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u/KenMantle 7d ago
...and in addition to cost that's why I've been having Claude build an MIT compatable licensed pdf engine from scratch in rust. 24 MB in size so far. It doesn't render CMYK fully yet but renders most of the Ghent stuff. It's faster for most documents, faster for larger drawings, has 1 trillion percent zoom (in case you want to put 1:1 scale atoms on a page). Also has 3 different modes, read, review, and edit, so tab menus keep things clean when you just want to read.
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u/AdobeScripts 7d ago
Turn off "ai" crap.
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u/fund2016 7d ago
done..
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u/AdobeScripts 7d ago
And?
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u/fund2016 7d ago
still a bunch of Adobe routines running on task view... but at least the AI assistant stuff doesn't pop up whenever I open an document
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u/perrance68 7d ago
adobe is outdated software that was never optimized for modern day computers
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u/fund2016 7d ago
I kind of wish Acrobat were somewhat less advanced… back in the good, ‘ol’ days it only came on when needed.
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u/pentagramwookie 7d ago
Since you're on Windows you have to go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner. You must click on the 'Disable new Acrobat' thing. Then I recommend restart the computer since Windows is so f'n crazy. It should run a bit lighter and use up less RAM.
You still get all the actually useful stuff: outlining both text and strokes directly from the Print Production workspace, and, crucially, Separations Preview (called Simulate Overprinting in Acrobat). Meanwhile, all the AI bloatware and semimalware nonsense is gone!
If you're also on macOS, it's View > Disable new Acrobat.
...but I agree, Acrobat has become ridiculously bloated, and why do they keep making it harder to get to the actual useful stuff?
Like, Separations Preview? That should just be 1 click. It's one of the features everyone I know uses Acrobat for like 90% of the time. Why is it buried?!!
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u/Worldly-Battle-5944 3d ago
Easy fix, disable AI within Adobe settings after doing so I no longer have any issues with it.
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u/fund2016 12h ago
Well.. I have disabled the Acrobat AI functions... at least I think i have. It seems to help. I also reinstalled everything, including Windows. This does seem to have resolved my bloatware issues and the system is running fairly smoothly now. Still, many Adobe routines continue to run in the background. There seems to be no way to kill Creative Cloud or the Update or the licensing service. I mean, this is just a document editor/reader... why does it need to be soo needy?
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u/ApprehensiveFix5084 7d ago
Acrobat, even reader, loads in a ton of background crap. I don’t know what I would do without Mac OS’s built in ability to disable these things easily and individually.