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Installing Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Pro

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This article gives instructions on installing Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat Pro on: 

  • Personal devices owned by staff and Postgraduate Research Students (PGRs) 
  • University-owned computers

Undergraduate (UGs) and Postgraduate (PGTs) students are not licensed to use Adobe Acrobat Pro. 

For this reason, Adobe Acrobat Pro has been removed from Common Learning Space (CLS) and the Student AVD Pool. However, Adobe Reader is still available. PDFs can also be opened in the Microsoft Edge browser.

If you are looking for an alternative PDF reader or editor, please read the section Alternative PDF readers or editors.  

Table of Contents

The main differences between Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat Pro 

Overview 

The main differences between Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat Pro are the range of features offered, platform compatibility, and target user base. 

Adobe Acrobat - main features 

Part of Acrobat's main features are: 

  • Create, edit, and sign PDFs
  • Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 
  • Combine and organise PDF documents
  • Fill out and sign forms
  • Add comments and annotations 

Adobe Acrobat Pro - main features 

Includes everything listed above, plus: 

  • Advanced editing tools (like redacting sensitive information)
  • Compare two versions of a PDF
  • Add Bates numbering (often used in legal docs) 
  • Create and validate accessible PDFs (for screen readers)
  • Advanced form creation (JavaScript, calculation fields)
  • PDF preflight
  • More detailed control over file permissions and security 

If you need the full list of Acrobat and Acrobat Pro features, please visit the page Acrobat for business pricing & plans. 

Recommendation - How to choose the right Acrobat version  

Adobe Acrobat allows you to achieve day-to-day tasks such as converting or merging files, editing PDFs, or adding comments. You can install it directly from the Software Center. 

If you need to install Adobe Acrobat Pro because you need to use some of its extra features, you will need to apply for a license. You can apply for a license through the Software Center.

If you have an active Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you can access Adobe Acrobat Pro. Adobe Acrobat Pro comes as part of the Creative Cloud suite of applications.

Before downloading and installing, there is a free Adobe online editor that you can use. 

Please note: we only have a limited number of Adobe Acrobat Pro licences. Please only request a Pro licence if you do need it.

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Installing Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Pro

Installing Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Pro on a university-owned computer

Before starting  

To download the software off campus, you will need to connect to a Virtual Private Network VPN (GlobalProtect). To set up a VPN on your laptop, read the article How to set up the Virtual Private Network (VPN) via GlobalProtect. 

Windows users – Installing Adobe Acrobat

1. Go to your Desktop and select the Software Center icon. You can also find it available in the Start menu.

  Software Center icon

2. A new window will appear. Once the Software Center has fired up, enter "Adobe Acrobat" or "Adobe Acrobat Pro" into the search field.

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3. You will then see the Acrobat 2025 icon: 

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4. Double-click the icon. 

5. Select the Install button. 
The installation will start downloading the software. This action can take up to 30 minutes if you are at home. You can carry on working on other programs whilst this is in progress.

6. Once the downloading part has been completed, the installation will automatically begin and complete. If requested to complete any reboots, please do so.

7. Adobe Acrobat can be launched from the Start menu. This version doesn't need signing in to use, and it works as a reader.

Windows users – Installing Adobe Acrobat Pro 

1. Go to your Desktop and select the Software Center icon. You can also find it available in the Start menu. 

Software Center icon

2. A new window will appear. Once the Software Center has fired up, enter "Acrobat Pro" into the search field. 

3. You will then see the Acrobat 2025 Pro (Requires License) icon: 

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4. Double-click the icon  

5. Now, please: 

  1. Add a note explaining the reasons why you need the Pro versions 
  2. Select Request to submit your request: 
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6. The installation will start downloading the software once approved by iSolutions. This action can take up to 30 minutes if you are at home. You can carry on working on other programs whilst this is in progress.  

If you do not receive any approval after 1 working day, please contact ServiceLine.

7. Once the downloading part has been completed, the installation will automatically begin and complete. If requested to complete any reboots, please do so. 

8. Acrobat Pro can be launched from the Start menu. It can take up to an hour for your account to become active within Adobe, after which you can sign in. 

If you need to sign in manually, please:

  1. Select the Sign in button at the top-right corner of the window
  2. Enter your university email address in the form of username@soton.ac.uk (for example: ab1c25@soton.ac.uk)
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  3. Enter your password 
  4. You might be asked to confirm your identity through the Multi-Factor Authenticator. Authenticate using your preferred method

Apple macOS users

You can install Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Pro from the Adobe website, regardless of whether you are using a university-owned macOS or your own computer.  

To download and install the software, please follow the instructions published within the chapter "Installing Adobe Acrobat Pro on your personal device".  

Installing Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Pro on your personal device

1. Open the Adobe website and then click the Sign In button in the top-right corner of the screen.

Sign In button 
2. Sign in with the short version of your university email in the form of username@soton.ac.uk (for example: ab1c25@soton.ac.uk, not A.Surname@soton.ac.uk) and university password.

3. You will then be redirected from Adobe to the University's external authentication portal. This may involve a second redirection:

Microsoft authentication window

4. Once logged in, select the App switcher icon.

App switcher icon

5. Select the Acrobat icon:

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6. To use Acrobat on your desktop, select the Get your apps button:

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7. Select the Adobe Acrobat Pro button (or the Open button). The installer download will automatically start:

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8. Launch the installer to install Acrobat Creative Cloud and Acrobat.

9. Follow the instructions.

Choose between personal and Company or School account

If you have both a personal account (Adobe ID) and a Company / School account (Enterprise ID or Federated ID) associated with the same email address, you will choose the account you want to use. Even if the two accounts share the same email address, they are distinct accounts. No data is shared or transferred automatically.

What to do:

1. Enter the short version of your university email address (for example: ab1c25@soton.ac.uk, not A.Surname@soton.ac.uk) and select Continue.

Adobe sign in window

2. You can now select a profile to sign in. Please select the option Company or School account.

Windows asking you to select a profile to sign in to your profile on Adobe

3. Sign in as usual.

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Common issues and troubleshooting

All Adobe's applications are not appearing

Overview of the problem

If you do not see that you have the Adobe applications you expect available, you might have logged in with the wrong account.

This happens because your Adobe Acrobat is linked to the short form of your email account (for example abc123@soton.ac.uk), not the long form (for example A.Surname@soton.ac.uk). If you log in with the longer email account, you are using the wrong account.

How to resolve this issue

  1. Select the circular icon at the top-right corner and check the account you are logged on with:
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  2. If you are using the wrong account:
    1. Logout 
    2. Log in with the correct account

  3. If this logon offers you a choice of profile during this logon, select the option School or company.

You cannot use Acrobat on more than 2 computers

You are only allowed to be logged onto your Adobe account on two computers simultaneously.

On logging onto the third, you will receive a message detailing the computers you are already logged onto and the option to log out remotely from Adobe on one of these computers.

This limit is set by Adobe, and the university is not able to change or increase it.

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Alternative PDF readers or editors 

Alternative PDF readers or editors are: 

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader: You can use it to sign and comment on PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader will be available on CLS machines shortly 
  • Microsoft Edge (or any other browser): PDF files can be opened and read using MS Edge or any other browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari 
  • Microsoft Office: PDF documents can be created by saving them as a PDF file 
  • Adobe's online PDF editor: Adobe PDF editor is free only if you want to highlight text, add annotations, and drawings. If you need to make other changes (such as edit the content or add bulleted lists), you might need to set up a subscription 

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Getting IT help

If you need help, please contact ServiceLine or visit one of our Tech Hubs.

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Related content

How to set up Adobe Acrobat Pro to be your default PDF viewer using Microsoft Edge

Managing Adobe profiles

How to download software

How do I set up VPN on my device

Microsoft 365 License Comparisons (A5 & A1)

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