Is there still a free version of Acrobat Reader?
Dec 7, 2020, 4:31 pm
#1
Community Director Emerita
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2000
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Is there still a free version of Acrobat Reader?
I've had a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for many years. Somehow, it managed to get corrupted. When I went searching, I found a company offering it for free if I allowed it to be an extension on my Firefox and took over my search bar. I'll pay if I must and avoid that. I need a .pdf reader as I get invoices from hotels and elsewhere as .pdfs. What do you suggest?
Dec 7, 2020, 4:38 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Posts: 5,529
Have you seen this?
https://get2.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/
https://get2.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/
Dec 7, 2020, 4:55 pm
#3
Community Director Emerita
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2000
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Have you seen this?
https://get2.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/
https://get2.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/
Dec 7, 2020, 8:20 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,914
You're a star. I've downloaded and confirmed it is working. Apparently what wasn't working was the invoice that Marriott sent. I get a message that it was a damaged file. And yet I can open it on my phone. So, that's a mystery but I used the software that I just downloaded and easily opened other .pdfs that I had on my computer. I appreciate you helping me so quickly and accurately. It kept me from downloading software that I didn't want controlling my menu bar or paying *gasp* money to have the program.
I've also noticed an increase in "damaged" PDFs as of late. But acrobat reader always managed to fix the issue.
Dec 8, 2020, 12:01 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2019
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Anyone downloading the free Adobe Reader go slowly and read things as you are clicking. They always try to slip in some extra bloatware that you probably don't want. It's usually just a matter of unchecking a couple boxes.
Dec 8, 2020, 8:35 am
#6
Join Date: Dec 2004
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The last time I downloaded Adobe Reader, I had to uncheck the box for a download/free trial of McAfee Antivirus. It's annoying, but easily dealt with....you just need to pay attention to what you are clicking.
Dec 8, 2020, 2:35 pm
#7
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I typically download the .exe file and save it. Then I run it on the computer I'm installing it into.
I use the saved version (copy it to the new target computer) and execute it there.
I tend to use Version XI because the later versions have "improved" and in the process changed a couple of features I use. If I'm not careful, I might get a later version and I'll just go with that, or the machine may have pre-loaded a later version. I don't usually go through the trouble of deleting/re-installing cuz' it's not that critical; still, I like using programs where my "muscle memory" just goes through whatever motions are necessary to get me where I want to be without have to think much about it.
And get off my lawn!!
I use the saved version (copy it to the new target computer) and execute it there.
I tend to use Version XI because the later versions have "improved" and in the process changed a couple of features I use. If I'm not careful, I might get a later version and I'll just go with that, or the machine may have pre-loaded a later version. I don't usually go through the trouble of deleting/re-installing cuz' it's not that critical; still, I like using programs where my "muscle memory" just goes through whatever motions are necessary to get me where I want to be without have to think much about it.
And get off my lawn!!
Dec 8, 2020, 2:44 pm
#8
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Adobe does have a standalone offline version of the Reader Installer:
https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/
https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/
Dec 10, 2020, 12:07 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Somewhere in Florida
Posts: 2,618
Don't forget about the Acrobat alternatives out there -- Nitro PDF and PDF Xchange. I ran into a project yesterday where the full version of Adobe Acrobat Pro would crash & hang on, even tried older versions of Acrobat which performed better than the current version but still couldn't get the job done. PDF Xchange and Nitro both handled the job without a single complaint.
/RANT: How come in 2020, Adobe Acrobat is *still* not multi-threaded? Hyperthreading has been around since 2002. 18 years later, Adobe still hasn't bothered. Given how long large PDFs take to process in Acrobat, sometimes hours, it'd be nice to use all of those pretty CPU cores which are just idling under Acrobat.
/RANT: How come in 2020, Adobe Acrobat is *still* not multi-threaded? Hyperthreading has been around since 2002. 18 years later, Adobe still hasn't bothered. Given how long large PDFs take to process in Acrobat, sometimes hours, it'd be nice to use all of those pretty CPU cores which are just idling under Acrobat.