Microsoft Edge and Adobe partner to improve the PDF experience

[RickTurner]

Update:
The date for commercial rollout for embedding the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine into the Microsoft Edge built-in PDF reader has been moved to July 2024. 

The date for the removal of the current engine for the Microsoft Edge built-in PDF reader will be delayed to no sooner than early 2025.

Editor's note: Information and questions will be added and/or updated over time to provide more detail. Last updated: March 18, 2024.

As part of the Adobe and Microsoft collaboration to re-envision the future workplace and your digital experiences, we are natively embedding the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine into the Microsoft Edge built-in PDF reader, with a release scheduled in March 2023. This leverages the industry-leading technologies that Adobe and Microsoft use to bring innovative value to the modern hybrid working environment. You can view the announcement blog and learn more information regarding the larger Microsoft and Adobe Partnership.

By powering the Microsoft Edge built-in PDF reader with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine, users will receive a unique PDF experience that includes higher fidelity for more accurate colors and graphics, improved performance, strong security for PDF handling, and greater accessibility—including better text selection and read-aloud narration. These capabilities will continue to be free of cost.

Consumer (and unmanaged) users of Microsoft Edge will see this change immediately. This will roll out to organizations with managed devices over time, to allow time to test the updated experience and transition users. This rollout will follow a quality-driven-based approach, so milestone dates may changed as we receive feedback on testing. See further below for more details on timelines. Ultimately, the legacy engine in the Microsoft Edge PDF solution is scheduled to be removed no sooner than early 2025 (date to be updated ASAP). (Updated: March 4, 2024)

Microsoft Edge users and organizations with existing Adobe Acrobat subscriptions can use the Acrobat extension inside Microsoft Edge at no extra cost. There is no requirement to purchase an Adobe Acrobat subscription to use the Microsoft Edge built-in PDF free capabilities.

Please see the FAQ below for answers to questions you may have.

When will this be available?

The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader, powered by the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine, rolls out to consumers starting in March 2023, with an option for organizations with managed devices to opt-in via Intune, SCCM, or group policy.  Admins in commercial and educational organizations can enable or disable the “NewPDFReaderEnabled” policy to test the built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine.

Is this an integration of the entire Adobe Acrobat PDF application?

No, this is not an integration of the Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader applications. This is an integration of a new PDF engine.

(Updated: March 18, 2024)

On what platforms will Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge be released?

The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine will be released for Windows 10 and 11.

Will Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge be available on macOS?

Availability for MacOS is coming in the future. We will have more to share at a later date.

Will this change affect Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) in Microsoft Edge?

This change will not have any effect on IE mode.

Does this change mean that the Microsoft Edge PDF reader is going away and being replaced by Adobe Reader?

No, the Microsoft Edge PDF reader is not going away. With this announcement and partnership with Adobe, we are enhancing the existing built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader . The features and capabilities you already enjoy with the Microsoft Edge PDF reader will continue to be available and, thanks to the partnership with Adobe, you can also expect additional benefits at no extra cost, such as higher fidelity for more accurate colors and graphics, improved performance, strong security for PDF handling, and greater accessibility—including better text selection and read-aloud narration. The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF solution will continue to be free  and will remain a separate product from Adobe Acrobat.  The partnership creates a unique PDF experience in Microsoft Edge that brings together the built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader and the new component of the PDF engine from Adobe Acrobat. To access Adobe Acrobat’s advanced digital document features within Microsoft Edge, an Adobe Acrobat extension and a paid Adobe Acrobat subscription is required. 

Will there be a cost to use Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge?

The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF solution will continue to be free. Users who want more advanced digital document features—such as the ability to edit text and images, convert PDFs to other file formats, and combine files—can purchase an Acrobat subscription that enables access to these advanced features inside Microsoft Edge via an extension. Those with an existing Adobe Acrobat subscription can use the Acrobat extension inside Microsoft Edge at no extra cost.

What’s changing with Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge compared to the existing Microsoft Edge PDF solution? Will Microsoft Edge users lose PDF functionality?

With the change to the use of the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine in  the built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader, you can expect additional benefits at no extra cost, such as higher fidelity for more accurate colors and graphics, improved performance, strong security for PDF handling, and greater accessibility—including better text selection and read-aloud narration. The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF solution with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine will have full feature parity with the legacy Microsoft Edge PDF solution. No functionality will be lost. We will continue to add free features to the built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader in the future.

Visually, users will see an unobtrusive Adobe brand mark in the bottom corner of their PDF view. Upon zooming into a document, the brand mark disappears. The brand mark is not a watermark—it will not be added to PDFs opened, saved, or printed in Microsoft Edge. 

Users will also see an option to try the advanced features, such as converting PDFs, combining files, editing text and images. Users can sign in with their existing Adobe Acrobat subscription or can select the option to purchase an Adobe Acrobat subscription and download the Adobe Acrobat extension to use these advanced features in Microsoft Edge.

To be clear, this is not an integration of the Adobe Acrobat PDF application. This is only an integration of the engine.

Will this PDF engine change result in our organizational documents to be stored on Adobe servers?

Using the free built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader with the Adobe Acrobat engine will not result in your organizational documents to be stored on Adobe servers. Microsoft Edge and the Microsoft Edge PDF reader do not store your documents today and there are no changes to that.

How do I use the advanced Adobe Acrobat PDF features in Microsoft Edge?

Activating the advanced features with the Adobe Acrobat PDF extension in Microsoft Edge requires a paid Adobe Acrobat subscription. To activate the features, in the PDF view in Microsoft Edge, navigate to the top right corner of the window and click the button with messaging to try the advanced features. From there follow the prompts best suiting your needs to complete the transaction. If you already have a paid Adobe Acrobat subscription, you can sign into your existing account to use the advanced features at no additional cost.

Which paid versions of Adobe Acrobat will work with Microsoft Edge?

Adobe Acrobat Pro and Adobe Acrobat Standard customers can sign in and use all the premium features available directly in the Adobe Acrobat extension for Microsoft Edge. Adobe Acrobat 2020 does not offer online services and therefore its premium features are not accessible in Microsoft Edge.

Can general users opt out of using Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge?

General users will be unable to revert to using the legacy PDF engine in Microsoft Edge after the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine launches.

How will this affect commercial organizations?

When rollout begins in March 2023, there will be no changes to managed Windows devices in organizations unless you choose to opt in. Users on unmanaged Windows devices will see an unobtrusive Adobe brand mark in the bottom corner of their PDF view. These users will also see an option to try the advanced features, such as converting PDFs, combining files, editing text and images. If an organization chooses to opt in, users on managed devices will see the same changes. The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF solution with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine will have full feature parity with the legacy Microsoft Edge PDF solution. No functionality will be lost.

Users can sign in with their existing Adobe Acrobat subscription or can select the option to purchase an Adobe Acrobat subscription and download the Adobe Acrobat extension to use the advanced digital document features in Microsoft Edge.

How will this affect educational organizations?

EDU users on managed Windows devices will follow the same protocol as managed devices in commercial organizations. For EDU users that are not on a managed Windows device, they will automatically receive Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge starting in March 2023.

What environments apply to “managed devices”? (AAD joined, Hybrid AAD, on-prem AD, etc.)

Managed devices include any device that is domain-joined or MDM-enrolled.

How can commercial organizations opt into using Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge at launch?

Admins in commercial organizations can enable or disable the “NewPDFReaderEnabled” policy to test the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine.

How can commercial organizations make a gradual change to adopting Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge?

To meet the needs of organizations with managed devices, the transition to the built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine will occur in phases, with an initial opt-in option for managed devices. Policies will be made available no sooner than  the timings in the table below.

	March 2023	July 2024	Early 2025
Consumer Devices	Rollout to users begins.	Rollout to users completes.	Microsoft Edge legacy PDF engine is scheduled to be removed.
Managed Devices	Opt-in policy starts.	Rollout to managed devices begins. Opt-out via policy starts.	Opt-out policy expires. Microsoft Edge legacy PDF engine is scheduled to be removed.

(Updated March 18, 2024)

How can organizations control the visibility of the option to try advanced digital features that require a paid Adobe Acrobat subscription?

Commercial and educational organizations can control the visibility of the option to try advanced digital features that require a paid Adobe Acrobat subscription. Admins can enable or disable the “ShowAcrobatSubscriptionButton” policy to control the visibility of the option to users.

Is the policy for opt-in and opt-out exclusive to Intune? Will this be available in group policy or SCCM?

The “NewPDFReaderEnabled” policy is available in Intune, Group Policy, and SCCM.

How will this change affect WebView2 users and applications?

The PDF experience for WebView2 users will be at parity with the current Microsoft Edge built-in PDF reader. The option to access paid Adobe Acrobat premium features will not be visible in the new PDF experience on WebView2. The unobtrusive Adobe brand mark will also not be visible in  WebView2.

How can organizations opt-in to try the new PDF experience in WebView2?
The "NewPDFReaderWebView2List" policy is available for organizations to opt-in and opt-out of the new PDF experience in WebView2.

WebView2developers can also enable the experimental flag "msPDFSharedLibrary" explicitely in code.

When will the legacy PDF engine in Microsoft Edge be removed? (Updated March 4, 2024)

The PDF engine in the Microsoft Edge built-in PDF reader is scheduled to be removed no sooner than Early 2025 (date to be updated ASAP). 

Will using the Adobe Acrobat PDF extension in Microsoft Edge change my default PDF viewer?

Downloading, installing, or using the Adobe Acrobat PDF extension in Microsoft Edge will not automatically change your default PDF viewer.

I’m already an Adobe subscriber. If I’m using Microsoft Edge, what do I need to do to use the Adobe Acrobat PDF extension?

You can access all your paid Adobe Acrobat premium features by signing into your Adobe Acrobat account and using the extension in Microsoft Edge.