Skip to main content
Adobe

How to Force Close Adobe Acrobat When It Stops Responding

Published 11 September 2026

Adobe Acrobat can occasionally stop responding while leaving several background processes running.

Closing the main Acrobat window may not terminate all of these processes, which can prevent Acrobat from opening correctly again.

You can force close the remaining Adobe Acrobat processes using PowerShell.

Open PowerShell and run:

Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.ProcessName -match 'Adobe|Acrobat|Acro' } | Stop-Process -Force

This will forcibly terminate running processes with Adobe, Acrobat or Acro in their process name.

Once the command has completed, try opening Adobe Acrobat again.

Important

This command forcibly closes matching Adobe processes.

Make sure any Adobe applications are no longer being used before running it, as unsaved work may be lost.

If Acrobat regularly stops responding, force closing the processes is only a temporary fix. The underlying problem may require Acrobat to be updated, repaired or reinstalled.

Got Questions?

Find quick answers to common IT support questions

How quickly can you respond to IT issues?

While many companies claim a 15-minute response, we guarantee a one-hour response time for urgent issues. This realistic timeframe allows our expert team to mobilise properly and arrive fully prepared to diagnose and resolve the problem efficiently - ensuring quality support rather than a rushed service.

How long has Sheridan Computers been established?

Sheridan Computers was established in 2001, so we've been looking after business IT for 25 years.

Browse the Knowledge Base

IT Emergency?

24/7 emergency IT support available for existing clients

Help & Support
Standard Support Hours

Monday - Friday 8:00 - 17:00
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed
Other Ways to Reach Us
24/7 Emergency Support

Critical issues? Our emergency team is available 24/7 for existing clients.

Emergency Support Line