Adobe Acrobat Crashing/Freezing in AVD

I'd be interested in hearing best practices around this too.
I know we've deployed Adobe Reader using a scripted action and as part of the image without any crashes/freezes.
I worked with another MSP who is using ImmyBot to deploy all applications and not have to maintain an AVD image (see AVD without a Custom Image (ImmyBot) – Nerdio Help Center).

We have a client (law firm) who is using Adobe Pro (subscription-based) with 30 users spread out on E8s hosts with no issues.
I'm wondering if it's a resource problem (i.e. not enough RAM).

Jackson Gallagher, a few questions, if you have time:

• Are these perpetual licensed versions of Adobe or cloud subscriptions?
• How is Adobe being installed?
• Are there any common symptoms (i.e. time of day, Large PDF file, trying to print, etc)?
• Which Azure SKU(s) are you using?
• How many users are you having per host?
• What does the VM Performance look like when Adobe is crashing?

• We have two host pools (one for Adobe Reader, one for Adobe Pro). The Pro subscriptions are Cloud subscriptions.
• We boot up the Golden Images and install the Adobe application normally (Download the executable, run the executable). With Adobe Pro we sign into a Pro account, install, and sign out.
• The common symptoms are as follows: Adobe will stop printing for end-users after multiple successful prints. We have to close and reopen Adobe. Adobe will freeze and turn "Not Responding". We will have to force close and reopen Adobe. End-users will sometimes try to open Adobe and are not able to. We have to kill a rogue Adobe process in Task Manager. Sometimes we have had to entirely sign out of their AVD and back in.
• The Host Pools use E8_v5 (8C & 64GB)
• 8 Users per host MAX
• VM Performance looks healthy. We have even run performance diagnostics reports from Azure Monitor. Do not see an issue with resource consumption.

Dave,

Thank you for responding to our post! We greatly appreciate it as we are trying to optimize Adobe use in the AVD environment.

I have included the responses to your questions above. I have also seen a lot of mention of using scripts to install Adobe and other programs. Would you mind telling me how it is you set that up? Using GPOs?

No problem, Jackson. Happy to try and help.
That's the great thing about this community. If one of us doesn't know the answer, there's usually someone who is willing to chime-in and provide some ideas.

It sounds like you've already tested a lot of things.
We did the same thing and installed Adobe Pro as part of the golden image (Windows 11 64bit), captured the image, and deployed it to the session hosts.

I have a few more ideas to try (which you might've already done)

• Check with Adobe support to know if there's a known issue
• Try limiting the number of users per host to 5 or 6 to rule out any resource problems
  (i.e. too many print requests going at the same time and crashing the spooler)
• Once the host is imaged, check to make sure there are no missing updates for Adobe
  (It's possible there is some patch from the time Adobe was installed on the image and when it is deployed)
• Uninstall/reinstall Adobe on the session host, and have a couple of users test it out for a day to see if it crashes
  (to see if there's a problem with the image capture/sysprep process)
• Create a new image with just Adobe installed and see if the users are having the problem
  (to help rule-out any application conflicts)

As far as deploying apps in a scripted/automated way, there are a few options that we've tried in the past.

1. We utilize Nerdio Scripted Actions and deploy applications/configurations that way.
2. We're testing the new Global App Management (Private Preview v4.7.0 feature) to deploy apps from a WinGet repository
3. You could utilize ImmyBot (3rd party tool) and deploy software/updates with that tool. (See AVD without a Custom Image (ImmyBot) – Nerdio Help Center)
4. GPO/Intune can be used to deploy software, but deploying software with GPOs and Intune has historically been problematic and difficult to troubleshoot.
5. You could use MSIX App Attach, but it's not the easiest solution to learn/use/maintain. (see MSIX Deployment? – Nerdio Help Center for a thread on MSIX)

I am having issues with a clients adobe freezing across multiple users. they are running in an AVD environment and machines are recreated every week. We deploy adobe an install script when the systems are created. Users experience issues as minimal Adobe freezing when they are scrolling through a document. Whether it's a new document or something saved to .pdf

We've got a situation with 2 businesses with shared ownership are in the same Azure tenant, both using AVD in separate host pools. One side uses Adobe Acrobat Pro and the other side uses Foxit PDF Editor. I've heard of no performances issues for Foxit PDF Editor. Adobe Acrobat Pro is a different story.

On the Foxit side, they're running D8as_v5 with max session limit of 4. This had the size and max session limit cut in half with hosts doubled some time back to help with an Access app's performance.

For the Adobe side, they're running E8s_v5 with max session limit of 8. I have yet to see maxed out CPU or memory numbers.

Today, I added to GPO to push registry value “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\DisableHWAcceleration” with value data 1 and I'll find out what it does tomorrow.

Adobe Acrobat is installed in the image at command line with: Setup.exe /sALL /msi ROAMIDENTITY=1 ROAMLICENSING=1

I referenced this for installation instructions: https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/VirtualizationGuide/remotedesktopservices.html

I'm periodically getting updates from here: https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/ReleaseNotesDC/index.html

After every install and update, I'm disabling the Adobe update scheduled task and renaming AdobeCollabSync.exe to AdobeCollabSync_Broken.exe because that component has been identified as causing problems.

Gregory Barr , We are running into this exact situation so I'm eager to hear about this. We cannot use FOXit or PDF-Xchange because of Thomson Reuters software that only supports Adobe for the functions our client needs. Super eager to hear about this, we are working on this today.

To update, disabling hardware acceleration didn't make a noticeable impact. I'm still chasing slow Adobe Acrobat. Currently updating image with Acrobat update released yesterday.

Gregory Barr , I found this RegKey deep searching and will deploy this tonight and see if it works properly.

I re-installed Adobe using the switches you posted above and then manually added this key. There was something that said that I could add in the CMD ENABLE_VIRTUALIZATION=1, but I could not get the install to work, so manually adding it was good for me.

Added the KEY: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\<product>\<version>\FeatureLockDown\cVirtualization and then DWORD: bEnabled=1

Dave Stephenson , I am using the deployable setup, with all the files and installing this via PowerShell with the switches Gregory Barr used.

I will let you all know what happens.

For context we are using E8ads_v5 with 8 users per host. Performance, in terms of CPU usage and RAM usage, is never an issue when the Adobe issues happen.

I got the PS command to work: 

cd C:\path\to\Acrobat Installer Folder\

.\setup.exe /sPB /msi TRANSFORM=AcroPro_Transform.mst ENABLE_VIRTUALIZATION=1 ROAMIDENTITY=1 ROAMLICENSING=1

/sPB is a semi silent install, it just shows a progress bar to make it easier to see if it worked.

Johnny Lambert Hopefully the virtualization registry value helps.

How are you using the MST file?

I had started going down the path of learning how to setup MSIX App Attach for Acrobat today to see if that behaves any differently, but hopefully I don't have to.

Awesome, Johnny Lambert thanks for sharing! 🤩

I'm guessing you're pre-staging those installers on the desktop image and then calling it with a scripted action when you deploy the host(s) or are you installing it on the desktop before you capture the image?

Gregory Barr  I am using the entire pre-stage folder for Acrobat. 

Dave Stephenson  The latter. I am placing it on the Desktop Image then running the PS command. Not sure if it will fully work, but at least we are trying something, because it's been really hitting someof our clients hard, and because Thomson Reuters ONLY support Adobe Acrobat and Reader, so we cannot use Foxit or PDF-Xchange Editor.

I went ahead and deployed registry value HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown\cVirtualization\bEnabled with DWORD value 1 via GPO to the hosts.

After a week of running, user still reporting that files open quickly, but editing or adding text is still slow in AVD.

I have been using the Adobe Customization Wizard to configure the Unified Installer to deploy with Sign-in suppressed and adding the virtual environment support and enabling optimizations. 

Also as I understood from this documentation. https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/VirtualizationGuide/remotedesktopservices.html

All Adobe Service Integrations should also be disabled. Although I find some clients need to use Adobe sign or Send for Review, so sometimes I'll leave those but disable the rest. I also disable Third-Party connectors unless they actively use the SharePoint connector. 

I would either save over the exe file with these settings or create a transform file.

Then I would run this via Command Line. Setup.exe /sALL /msi ROAMIDENTITY=1 ROAMLICENSING=1

There is also a recommendation to disable notifications from Adobe, but I didn't get that quite right and would disable all notifications. So, if anyone has some recommendations around that, please share. 

I created a ShellApp in Nerdio to do this with an uploaded transform file. 

Very cool, Anthony Almeida, thanks for sharing! 😎

Do your MST configurations look similar, Johnny and Gregory?

Up to this point, I've not been using a MST file for any other settings not in the installation command, but will be looking this over.

Today, I'm uninstalling Adobe Acrobat Pro in image and reinstalling. I've create a similar to the above MST file with the virtualization support enabled and online services disabled today and am currently running install with command:

Setup.exe /sPB /msi TRANSFORM="C:\Path\To\AcroPro_Transform.mst" ROAMIDENTITY=1 ROAMLICENSING=1

I'll try to get this updated image applied for Monday July 7 and see how it goes.

Anthony Almeida : I will try this out next week myself been on other projects but I have a tenant I can use this method on.
 

Gregory Barr: Good luck! let's hope for the best!

Dave Stephenson : Sorry been MIA from this, but what is cool is a lot of google searches & ChatGPTs are leading here to this thread so hoping we all find a solid answer!

I got an update from user today saying Acrobat was running worse than before, but connecting to session and watching the process they were trying to do, I may have found something else, so I'm not going to touch Adobe Acrobat any further for a bit and see if feelings about performance change.

What I saw today watching user work, they were trying to drag another PDF from Explorer into Acrobat to add the document pages to the open file. The user also had Explorer's preview pane on and clicking on file to drag it into Acrobat caused the file to be shown in preview pane. When dragging file into Acrobat, the Acrobat process would go not responding. I disabled the preview pane and it worked without issue. What I'm trying going into tomorrow is I've installed Foxit PDF Reader (with most of the default options deselected) to be the PDF preview handler in Explorer instead of Acrobat so that Acrobat isn't trying to open the file twice itself. I'll see how it goes tomorrow.

I was wondering if anyone had tried to install Adobe Reader in AVD.  It keeps asking for users to sign in.  Every reg hack never worked really well.  Adobe Reader seems easier to install on a regualar PC or Desktop but when it comes to AVD its like pulling teeth. Ive wasted so much time dealing with Adobe Reader on a AVD Session Host.  People use their Physical PC for Adobe personal Subscriptions and it appears that with AVD we/users are force to purchase the full Adobe Enterprise to us Adobe on a AVD session to which it adds more cost overall.    I simply wanted to run Adobe Reader on a AVD sesssion like a regular PC does.  Any help if anyone achieved that I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks :)

Gregory Barr  - We have this in place as well due to a workflow requirement for one of our clients, works like a charm to get around the preview pane issue. 

David Lafferty  - We have installed Adobe Reader in AVD using the Application Deployment in NerdIO. I will say though that it is installed in a “testing” phase internally and is on single-session hosts. No issues with Adobe Reader asking for sign-in with this method, and it gets installed as hosts are created instead of on the image. 

Dylan Cote  in all our clients with just Adobe Reader, we don’t experience any crashes. The crashes we experience are only related to Acrobat.

David Lafferty  above post by Anthony Almeida , where you install the full MST package and check the box for suppress sign in acrobat might work, it’s works for us and users are using the subscription based model, however, we don’t install the full adobe creative cloud suite, so just a reference point.

Everyone else. I did a test with a user for the personal desktop and this user has had no issues with acrobat on Thomson Reuters software and no crashes. So throughout our collaborative investigating I think this is a little more narrowed to multi-user sessions. We did use Anthony Almeida ’s methods with a little more CMD line but essentially the same thing for the single user session.

All in all, at least we’re passing by along ideas and things to try. Speaking for myself, we’re definitely experiencing less crashes in multi-user sessions 

Thanks everyone!
 

Adobe is such a painful deal for something that is supposed to be simple.  Now we need a MSI file to perform what Anthony Almeida did in that task.   I looked at forums and other places to extact a MSI from the EXE file but with no avail.  I went to https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/ downloaded both 64 and 32 bit

At command prompt I run it below.  

"C:\AdobetoMSI\AcroRdrDCx642500120531_MUI.exe" /sAll /msi /norestart /quiet /extract:"C:\AdobetoMSI\ReaderExtracted"

It doesnt work.

Im building the new VM with Windows 11 with the new E8as_v6 and I got all the clients LOBs installed without issue but with a simple Adobe Reader Program this is diffuclt.  Any help or insight will be apprecated.

I found a Solution I did use Anthony Almeida Acrobat Configuation Wizard.

1. Download Adobe Reader 
  https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/
  It will download 32bit AcroRdrDC2500120531_MUI.exe

2. Extract a MSI file from Adobe
CMD
AcroRdrDC2500120531_MUI.exe -nos_oC:\AdobetoMSI\Reader32 -nos_ne
This will extract a file called acroRead.msi

3. Step-by-Step: Customize AcroRead.msi in Adobe Customization Wizard
🔹 : Open the MSI
Go to: File → Open Package

Select:
C:\AdobetoMSI\Reader32\AcroRead.msi

🔹  Configure These Settings
📄 Installation Options
✅ Suppress display of End User License Agreement

✅ Suppress reboot

✅ Enable silent installation

✅ Remove previous version

❌ (Optional) Remove desktop shortcut — especially useful in multi-user AVDs

🔐 Online Features
(Under “Online and Customization Options”)

✅ Disable product updates

✅ Disable upsell features

✅ Disable all Adobe Online Services

✅ Disable Adobe Sign

✅ Don’t allow user to add or sign in to Adobe account

✅ Suppress sign-in prompts

These are important for AVD to prevent annoying popups and unnecessary services per user profile.

4. Save the MST
Go to: File → Save Package
Save your transform as something like:
AcroRead.mst  (Note: AcroRead.msi  and AcroRead.mst files)

5. Zip the entire folder Reader32 to Reader32.Zip

6. On the Desktop Image
Copy to the Reader32.Zip to Desktop Image, Extract. I Extract to folder C:\Reader32
Open Command Line
msiexec /i "C:\Reader32\AcroRead.msi" TRANSFORMS="C:\Reader32\AcroRead.mst" /qn /norestart

7. On Desktop Image open Registry
 a. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\FeatureLockDown]
"bUpdater"=dword:00000000
 b. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Policies\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\FeatureLockDown]
"bUpdater"=dword:00000000

All Worked without any prompts, annoying signins. Its Adobe Reader Only.

For Acrobat, the reports I'm getting are that it's running much better after installing Foxit PDF Reader and setting as PDF preview handler after having implemented that on July 7th, then having to push registry value via GPO on July 18th after it had reverted back to Acrobat on its own. Acrobat appeared be conflicting with itself when it was handling the preview of a file that was trying to be worked with in Acrobat.

In environments were we only have Adobe Reader, I'm just using NMM application deployment policy to install and keep up to date.

Wow, what a ride reading through this thread lol. After all these years in IT, I am convinced that the two things that will outlast us are issues with printers and Adobe. 

That being said, the two cents I wanted to add was related to the preview pane in File explorer. I never really found out why, but I found that any of my clients that used it, would just kill the performance of the adobe app and the session host in general. So much so, that we had to force the preview pane off, without the ability for users to enable it. If they wanted to look at the PDF, they just needed to open it. Not a pretty solution, but the overall number of help desk tickets went down dramatically after doing so.

We have client that uses a very similar accounting software stack to what Johnny Lambert client uses.

Acrobat Pro issues. Freezing, crashing, super slow scrolling through PDFs, especially larger PDFs with many pages. Opening a single PDF might perform well but adding a second and especially a third PDF might bring Acrobat to a halt.

We tried various solutions, from all of the typical Adobe forum related items (disable this setting or that setting, etc) to increasing the hosts to a GPU series or an E series with a ton of RAM. Tried both 32bit and 64bit Acrobat. Resources never seemed to be lacking.

What I found was some users seemed to work ok and others had consistent performance issues. I was able to replicate the issues with an account and starting thinking profile related changes.

This client has had years worth of usage within their FSLogix profiles that span across many iterations of hosts and changes from Win10 hosts to Win11. From RemoteApp hosts to full Desktop hosts.

In my test user account, I backed up the HKCU\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC regkey and then deleted it. Essentially resetting Acrobat for my account. Launched Acrobat, clicked through all of the OOBE popups, settings, wizards, etc. Opened up the same large PDFs and began testing.

There was an immediate night and day improvement. Acrobat was performing quickly and exactly as you would expect it to perform.
To make sure it was not a fluke, I could import the regkey that I backed up and re-test Acrobat. The issues came back immediately. Delete HKCU\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC, repeat, performance was great.

Connected into users' sessions that had the worst performance and ran through those steps above. They had immediate performance increases in Acrobat.

I compared sizes of the backed up regkey to the newly created regkey and there was a significant reduction in registry bloat. I have not been able to pinpoint a specific item or items of the regkey that cause the issues, but there are a ton of items to go through. Setting up a fresh launch of Acrobat is not a huge deal and a minor inconvenience to trade for the increased performance.

Time will tell how long this helps, as I imagine over time things will bloat and potentially come back. But is that in a month? A year?

I am not celebrating yet but I wanted to share here as it might help others out and if it does, more data points will help me out.

Joe Mettler , I will test this out this next week and then let you know. If this works, I'm sending you a gift card!

I'm not sure where everyone is at in their journey on this, but I wanted to share a few updates I've received from Partners.
Obviously, YMMV, but thought I would share it as this is a pretty popular thread.

For using a different PDF Previewer (besides Adobe), you can do that with a registry change.
See Enable a Different PDF Previewer

For slowness problems, one partner found that the Assistive Technology Support was causing slowness in their environment. After they disabled it with a GPO, their issues went away.