How to Fix the Registry for Acrobat Reader
By Chris Hoffman
Adobe Reader stores data and settings in the Windows registry. Corruption of these registry entries results in Adobe Reader not working properly. Whether Reader doesn't launch properly or PDF files can't be viewed in your Web browser, a repair installation fixes the problem. You can fix Adobe Reader's registry entries using Adobe Reader's repair installer. If PDF files do not load in Reader because of file registry issues, you can fix the problems with Windows' built-in file association tool.
Fix Adobe Reader's Registry With a Repair Install
Step 1
Open the Windows Control Panel by clicking the "Start" button and then clicking "Control Panel."
Step 2
Open the Add or Remove Programs tool by double-clicking "Add or Remove Programs" in the Control Panel window. On Windows 7, click "Uninstall a Program" under the "Programs" header.
Step 3
Open the Adobe Reader installer by clicking "Adobe Reader" and then clicking the "Change" button.
Step 4
Click "Next" in the "Welcome to Setup" window.
Step 5
Perform a repair installation by clicking "Repair" in the "Program Maintenance" window and then clicking "Next."
Step 6
Re-install Adobe Reader and fix all its registry entries by clicking "Install."
Step 7
Complete the setup by clicking "Finish."
Fix Adobe Reader's Windows File Registry
Step 1
Open Windows Explorer. Click "Start," "All Programs" and then "Windows Explorer."
Step 2
Navigate to a PDF file using Windows Explorer and then right-click on the PDF file.
Step 3
Click "Open With" and then click "Choose Program."
Step 4
Associate Adobe Reader with PDF files by clicking "Adobe Reader" in the list of programs, clicking "Always Use the Selected Program to Open This Kind of File" and then clicking "OK."
Fix Adobe Reader's Mac OS X File Registry
Step 1
Open the Finder by double-clicking the "Finder" icon.
Step 2
Navigate to a PDF file using the Finder and select it by clicking on it.
Step 3
Click the "File" menu and then click "Get Info."
Step 4
Click the triangle to the left of "Open With."
Step 5
Click the "Open With" box and then choose "Adobe Reader" by clicking on it.
Step 6
Apply the file registry fix by clicking "Change All."
References
Writer Bio
Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around tech geek who writes for PC World, MakeUseOf, and How-To Geek. He's been using Windows since Windows 3.1 was released in 1992.