Adobe Acrobat is mostly known for viewing, creating, printing and managing files in Portable Document Format. But sometimes, you can face an error while opening any PDF documents.
At the time of opening these files, you will be notified with the “Acrobat failed to connect to a DDE server” message when this error occurs. Besides, when you try to combine multiple files into a single PDF, this error might take place.
When this error is triggered, you can’t open a PDF file or merge documents in Acrobat. Here, we will guide you on how to fix this Acrobat error easily on Windows 10.
Key Methods if Acrobat Failed to Connect to a DDE Server on Windows 10
This section consists of the essential methods to fix the Acrobat error. Hence, implement the below-mentioned steps carefully so that you can get over the issue fast.
Method 1: Restart the Acrobat Software
If the Acrobat application doesn’t run properly, you can get this error. In that case, you need to restart the application again in Windows 10. To do that, you need to implement the following steps:
- Hold the Ctrl, Shift and Esc keys together. This will open the Task Manager.
- In the Task Manager window, right-click on the Acrobat related tasks.
- Tap on the “End Task” option next.
Now, after ending all the Acrobat related software, open the application again. Now, check if restarting Acrobat has solved the error. If not, then go to the next method.
Method 2: Repair the Acrobat Installation
If the files of the Acrobat application are corrupted, the DDE server error can be triggered. In that case, it is suggested to repair the Acrobat installation using the following steps:
- Hold the Windows and the R key together. The Run dialog box will open
- In the Run dialog box, write “control”. Hit the Enter button.
- This will open the “Control Panel” window. Choose the “Large icons” option after clicking on “View by”.
- Now, tap on the “Programs and Features” option. Thereafter, search for the Acrobat application.
- Right-click on the application and from the drop-down menu, choose the “Change” option.
- Next, click on the “Repair” option and then tap on the “Next” button.
It might take a while to complete the repair process. When it will be done, tap on the “Finish” button to complete the process. Now, open the Acrobat Program and check if you have solved the error.
If not, then we would suggest you go to the next section.
Method 3: Edit the Registry
If you are still unable to fix the error, you need to go for this ultimate solution. By using the Registry Editor, you can get rid of the error.
Note: Registry Editor helps to create, rename, and delete registry keys, subkeys, values, and value data. Sometimes, by modifying the entries for Acrobat or DDE server, you can resolve this error.
- To try this fix, hit the Windows and X keys together. Choose the “Run” option from there.
- Now, in the Run dialog box, write “regedit”. Hit the “Enter” button after that.
- This will open the Registry Editor window. Now, go to the address bar and write the following:
“Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\acrobat\shell\open\ddeexec\application”
- Choose the “Application” key and then click on it. Now, double-click on the “Default” to open the “Edit String” window.
- Now, remove the text in “AcroviewA18’ or ‘AcroviewA19’ present in the Value data box.
Note: In the Edit String window, if the Value data box is showing ‘AcroviewA18’, you need to replace it with the “AcroviewR18”. Here, “A” and “R” indicates the version of the Acrobat software installation.
- Next, tap on the “OK” button to save these changes in the Registry Editor.
Now, restart the device and try to open the Acrobat application. If you are still getting the fatal error, then apply the remaining methods.
Method 4: Turn off the Protected Mode at Startup
If you are getting a fatal error, we would suggest deleting the “Protected Mode at Startup” option. In case this option is selected, there is a huge probability to face the DDE server error. To do so, you need to consider the following steps:
- Go to the “Edit” option and then go to the ‘Preferences” section in the Acrobat Application.
- Now, tap on the “Security (Enhanced)” option. Next, deselect the “Enable the Protected Mode at Startup” option.
- Next, deselect the “Enable Enhanced Security” option.
Now, close the Preferences tab and open the Adobe Acrobat application and check if you have solved the error.
Method 5: Uninstall and Reinstall the Adobe Acrobat
If you have a default version of Acrobat, then the chances of getting the fatal error are high. In that case, you need to uninstall the application to avoid such issues further.
How to Uninstall the Acrobat?
To uninstall Acrobat, you need to go through the following steps:
- Go to the Start menu. From there, tap on the “Run” option.
- In the Run dialog box, write “appwiz.cpl”. Hit the Enter button next.
- From the list of the programs, choose the “Adobe Acrobat” and right-click on it.
- Choose the “Uninstall” button and tap on the “Yes” button to confirm the uninstallation process.
Now, restart the device after uninstalling the Adobe Acrobat. If you are done with uninstalling the application, you need to know how to install the latest version of Acrobat. So, go to the next section to reinstall it.
How to Reinstall the Adobe Acrobat?
After uninstalling the Acrobat application completely, you need to now reinstall it in the device.
- Go to the official website of Adobe Acrobat.
- From there, search for the latest Acrobat version and then read the on-screen instructions.
- After that download and install it.
Now, run the application and check if you are getting the fatal error.
Additional Tips
But if you are still facing issues, we would recommend you to update the Acrobat software. Because sometimes, due to the outdated version of Acrobat you might get this error. So in that case, you need to update it.
To do that, open the Acrobat application and then tap on the “Help” option and then proceed to the “Check for updates” option. If there is any update available for the application, it will immediately appear on the screen.
Thereafter, tap on the Update Now” option and get the latest version of Acrobat.
Besides, if any antivirus software is running currently in the device, you can face issues while opening the files in Acrobat. In that case, you need to disable the application and then open Acrobat to fix the error.
