How to Upgrade Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader is almost a required software program for most computer users. Many manufacturers supply their user guides in PDF format, and many ebooks and other documents are exchanged by users in this format. Older versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader will have to be upgraded manually by the user, while later versions 7 and above have the ability to automatically upgrade while you are online doing other things. By keeping the latest version of the Reader on your computer, you will be able to open both older documents and those created using later versions of Adobe Acrobat.

    Manual Update

  1. Step 1

    Open Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. Click on “About” on the text menu at the top. The screen that appears will tell you which version of the software you have installed.

  2. Step 2

    Navigate your browser to the Adobe website. The download page for Adobe Acrobat Reader is listed in the Resources below.

  3. Step 3

    Download the latest version of the software. Make sure you save the file in a folder that you can locate easily after the download is complete.

  4. Step 4

    Double-click on the Reader icon to install the software after it has finished downloading.

  5. Step 5

    Accept the user agreement when prompted. The remainder of the program will load and, when complete, be ready to use.

    6. Automatic Updates

  6. Step 1

    Open Adobe Reader on your computer.

  7. Step 2

    Click on “Edit” and then “Preferences” from the text menu at the top of the screen.

  8. Step 3

    Click on the “General” text link on the sidebar of the Preferences screen.

  9. Step 4

    Click the box next to “Check for Updates” and then click “OK”. Close the program.

  10. Step 5

    Re-open Adobe Reader and watch for a small white box to appear in your system tray when you are online. The white box indicates that Adobe is downloading the updates or upgrades automatically.