Whenever there is a PDF (Portable Document Format) that contains a large amount of data, opening it becomes super complicated. It can also be because Adobe Acrobat has many plug-ins on startup that slow down the booting process. Many of these plug-ins are not required at startup. Once the plug-ins are disabled, Acrobat doesn’t display the related toolbars until you enable them again. We will enlighten you on how to fix slow PDF files using the following methods.
Why Does This Issue Happen?
Adobe Acrobat can get painfully slow while editing files. As we mentioned before, PDF files may slow down due to multiple reasons. If the file contains a lot of data, including diagrams, high-resolution images, etc. can significantly affect the application’s speed.
Especially documents designed for printing instead of digital monitors, as they require high-resolution images. Another solid reason behind slow PDF files can be the many plug-ins that Acrobat has enabled to open on startup, which reduces the loading process’s pace.
How To Fix Slow PDF Files | Load PDF Fast
Here are some of the methods:
- Optimize Using Acrobat
- Disable Plug-Ins
- Print To PDF Printer
- Using Adobe InDesign
- Check For Updates
- Reduce DPI when saving PDF File
1] Optimize Using Acrobat
You can increase the efficiency of your PDF files by using Acrobat Pro’s PDF Optimizer. For this, you will need Acrobat Pro. It is one of the best and easiest ways to fix slow PDF files if you have one. Press the File tab on the menu bar in Acrobat Pro and find the Open option. You will now see a dialog box to search for the lagging PDF file and select it.
Once you have opened the file, look for the Advanced tab and find the PDF Optimizer. In the dialog box that will open, you will see precisely how much space is taken up by the different elements. Then, you can tweak around to reduce the resolution of the images, for instance.
2] Disable Plug-Ins for the PDF Reader
As you know now, there are many plug-ins in Acrobat Reader that open at startup. It means that if your work involves only reading the PDF document and you don’t want to wait for the many plug-ins to load, temporarily disabling them is one of the best options. You can do this by pressing the Shift key while opening your PDF file. This way, none of the Acrobat plug-ins are loaded, and your PDF document opens faster.
3] Print To PDF Printer
Another straightforward way to optimize and fix slow PDF files is to use PDF printers such as PrimoPDF or Bullzip, which help do the work of chucking out stuff that slows down your PDF file. Open your file on Acrobat Reader or any PDF reader application for that matter, and then press CTRL+P to open the print PDF dialog box. From that, choose the PDF printer that you installed and work according to the software’s suggestions. That will include reducing the resolution of images in the document to improve the speed.
4] Using Adobe InDesign
Now, this method is as primary and straightforward as it can get. Once you have opened your PDF document on InDesign or other high-end software, you have an option to tweak the export settings to fix slow PDFs files. For instance, you can opt for the smallest file size while exporting to a PDF on InDesign.
5] Check For Updates
If you use an old version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, it is time to upgrade it! Upgrading to a newer version may help fasten the pace of your large PDF files. Apart from that, you should also
6] Reduce DPI when saving PDF File
This point is critical if the quality of your document is of great concern to you. Whenever you reduce the size of the PDF document or the resolution of the images, it affects the overall quality of your file. If you wish to print your document, we suggest keeping your DPI between 72 DPI (Optimal Quality DPI) and 300 DPI (Print Quality DPI).
What Can I Use Instead Of Adobe Acrobat?
There are many alternatives to the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Before choosing one, you must check the design software and user interface to match your requirements. Some popular options include Foxit PDF Reader, PDF Reader Pro, PDFLite, Readdle Documents, etc.
How To Speed Up Adobe Acrobat?
- Find the Edit tab on the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Navigate to the Preferences.
- Press on the Security (Enhanced) on the left-hand pane.
- After the window opens, Deselect Enable Protected Mode.
- Restart your PC after closing Acrobat.
Now that you know how to fix slow PDF files, you can easily browse through large PDF files and get things done without having to get frustrated over the lags! Just remember that optimizing your PDF document may mess up its quality, but apart from that, it’s a blessing if you have to do some reading.