OS X and Adobe PDF Reader Problems

Mac OS X users must change their default setting for viewing PDF files so that the Apple's "PDF viewer" is not the default tool. If it remains so, all of your PDF reports' form fields will be blank. Depending on the version of OSX you use, you may need to view the "detailed instructions" link below. You can also do both if you are not sure which version you are using. Also in general, if you update your OS X version or get a new mac, be sure to update your Acrobat version with the latest patch or update.  Adobe Acrobat tends to be sensitive to changes in the OS X version.

OS X 10.0 to 10.3 Versions Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther: Macintosh OS X Acrobat instructions:

To make Adobe Acrobat Reader the default PDF viewing tool on OS X, follow these instructions:

1) Hold down the Control key and click on any PDF file.

2) Then choose "Open with..."

3) Select "Other." A dialogue box will come up that allows you to find an Application.

4) Choose "Acrobat 5.0"* or later and...

5) Check the box that says "Always open with."

6) Click on the "Open" button.

* Technically, the version of Acrobat has to be 5.05 or later for OS X. You can discover your exact version by opening Acrobat Reader, going to the help menu, and choosing "About Acrobat." The exact version will be in the top left corner of the resulting dialogue box that opens.

OS X 10.4 or later Versions: Macintosh OS X Acrobat instructions:

To make Acrobat Reader the default PDF viewing tool on OS X, follow these instructions:

1) Hold down the Control key and click on any PDF file (or select a PDF file and choose "Get info..." from the file menu).

2) Then choose "Get Info..."

3) A dialogue box will come up that allows you to find an Application under the "Open with:" section. See image on left.

4) Choose "Acrobat Reader 8.0"* or later version and...

5) Click on the "Change All..." button.

* Technically, the version of Adobe Acrobat that supports forms is 5.05 or later.  However, with OS X, you generally will need the latest and greatest Acrobat.  OS X tends to be very sensitive with Acrobat and if the OS X version came out after the Acrobat version there is a good chance you may experience problems.  Thus, always apply the latest release update to your Acrobat when you get a new Mac or update your Mac's OS X version.

Known Issues: Adobe Acrobat 9.3.3 will likely not work with OS X 10.6.4.  You must update to Acrobat 9.3.4.

Still having problems with Safari?

Unfortunately, in some cases the Adobe Acrobat PDF plugin simply will not work with Safari.   This means your PDFs are still triggering Apple's PDF viewer within Safari.  Here are two things you can easily do:

After Safari displays the targeted PDF file using PDF View, simple Control click on the actual PDF on your screen and select "Open with Adobe Acrobat."  This will immediately open the PDF file using Acrobat.

Another option is to save the PDF file appearing in Safari.  Then when it is saved as a file on your computer, you can open it with Acrobat.  If you set Acrobat as the default viewer of PDF files it should immediately be launched to view the PDF file.

Support document 071

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