AcroTray (acronym for Adobe Acrobat Tray Icon) is a extension associated with the popular Adobe Acrobat, which starts automatically when you start the operating system, and keeps running in the background. This command has various functions such as showing notifications every time we try to convert any file to PDF, since it is mainly used to convert PDF files to other formats. It also allows you to keep track of Acrobat updates.
This utility can sometimes be quite annoying since when run constantly at startup Windows and remain always active can cause certain slowdowns on some computers, consuming system resources and work for no reason, even if we are not using Adobe Acrobat. It is not a function that we use frequently and it can be opened only when the program needs it and not always have it open for no reason, but, like other developers like Google, they have the happy habit of adding applications to the Windows start to, according to them, to improve the user experience and reduce the loading time of applications, as if our lives depended on it.
Also, some malware that spread on network shares and workstations can disguise themselves with the same name as AcroTray if they find the folder inside Windows.
Problems brought by the process in Windows
In addition, we must take into account that this extension consumes system resources. Although used sparingly, the extension always runs in the background and continues to use system resources permanently. So, if we’re not running out of memory, this can be an unnecessary headache.
While Adobe runs this startup service for a number of reasons, including the ability to run its various programs faster, it’s equally true that it doesn’t need to be running at all times, since at the moment that is required will proceed to activate, even if we have it disabled.
Performance issues often associated with AcroTray have misled many users into thinking that it is a virus. However, it is not so. If it really were a virus that slows down the computer, both Windows Defender and other antivirus applications would detect it, prompting us to disable it from the system. In addition, in the application details, we can check how Adobe, the developer of this application, is, so we can be completely calm about security.
Performance problems on a computer with AcroTray are especially accentuated when it comes to a mechanical hard drive, a barely noticeable problem on computers that are managed by a solid storage unit, better known as SSD.
Although removing Adobe’s AcroTray application will not generally affect your computer’s performance, it may on some computers. If so and without this application, Adobe applications do not work properly, the only solution is to replace the mechanical hard drive with a solid state one. Or, continue arming ourselves with patience every time we use the computer.
Today, the price of SSDs has dropped a lot compared to previous years and for just 30 euros, we can buy a 256 GB SSD. If this space is too small for us, you can also opt for other amounts of storage, although we will have to invest a little more money, money that, in the long run, is practically only compensated with the time we gain in terms of productivity, since that both the start of Windows and the opening of applications are reduced to a minimum.
Also, we can take advantage of the old hard drive to store data. In this way, the SSD will be in charge of managing both the operating system and the applications that we install, and the mechanical hard drive will be a storage unit that we will only use to save data. The difference in file read and write time in mechanical disk drives is not very high compared to SSDs. Where performance is noticeable is when managing Windows and opening applications.
Why end the Adobe component
When we come across this specific process that comes hand in hand with the popular Adobe, on many occasions we can ask ourselves if it is advisable to eliminate it or not. Well, there are several reasons that can lead us to finish the process that we are discussing, as we will see below. To begin with, we must bear in mind that it is loaded automatically when starting the computer with the Microsoft system. All this without us running it manually or starting when we run the program for PDF files.
As you can imagine this is something that slows down the functioning of the system from the start. Apart from the consumption of resources that we have mentioned before that it does by default, it can also negatively affect the loading time of other installed programs. Also, in most cases we will not need this process to be running constantly in the background in Windows at all. What’s more, some malicious code uses it to go unnoticed and infect our computer.
Disable this process from Windows
If we do not want to use it, it is possible to stop the AcroTray process so that it does not run permanently, since Acrobat will run it automatically when we are going to carry out conversion jobs. To do this we will have several ways, because we can use the Task Manager or the Windows Services application. We can also use the Microsoft Autoruns application, or third-party software called ShellExView.
In fact, in most cases it will be advisable to deactivate this process that we are talking about. The reason for this is quite obvious, since in most cases we do not make intensive use of the aforementioned Adobe program or we work with PDF constantly. Therefore, if we deactivate the process that we are dealing with in these lines, in many cases we will notice a significant saving of resources that can be used in other programs that are more useful at this time.
Use Task Manager
One of the easiest ways to disable the AcroTray process is to do it from the Windows Task Manager. It is a functionality built into Windows which is used to provide information about the processes and programs that run on our PC. To access we must use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Shift + Delete” and we will start the Task Manager. Once inside, we switch to the “Startup” tab and we will observe all the processes that want to run at the same time as Windows at each start of the computer. Here we will look for the AcroTray processright-click on it and select “Disable”.
In this way, the next time we restart the PC, this process will not be loaded or run in the background unless the program needs to use it at some point. If so, the system will automatically take care of executing it without us having to do anything on our part. We just have to remember to finish the process once we have stopped using the Adobe application that needed it.
What’s more, in this same section of the Windows task manager we find many other programs that may have located themselves in the system startup. If we want to eliminate them so that the computer turns on faster, we only have to follow the same steps described with the rest of the applications or processes here located. Of course, we must be careful with the elements that we eliminate from the Windows startup, since some of them are used by the operating system itself for its internal functioning.
From Windows Services
Another option that we have to be able to disable AcroTray from starting with Windows is from the application Services. This method may change some of the Adobe services that are set to run automatically. Changing this service to manual can help us stop ActroTray from running at system startup. To do this we must use the Windows + R keyboard shortcut and press the Enter key.
Next, we must look for the services “Adobe Acrobat Update” and “Adobe Genuine Software Integrity” on the list. Later we right-click on each of them individually and select “Properties”. A new window will appear and in the Startup type section, we change it to manual. Finally, click on the OK button to save and apply the changes. In this way, once the PC is restarted, the AcroTray process should not start.
We can also use the Services tab that we find within the Task Manager. Here we also find the “Adobe Acrobat Update” and “Adobe Genuine Software Integrity” services. Right-click on each one and select “Stop”.
Run a scan with SFC
It will also help us to run a scan to check if there are damaged files on our computer. When running a scan, SFC not only looks for corrupted files, but also restores them. Performing a scan is quite easy and is a two-step process.
The first thing we need to do is start Command Prompt as administrator. To do this we can press the Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) in the advanced user menu. We can also type cmd in the Start menu search bar and select Run as administrator in the right panel.
Once it appears, we write the following command and press Enter:
sfc /scannow
Depending on our computer, the scan may take more or less time to complete, about 20 or 30 minutes to complete, so we must be patient.
Through the Autoruns utility
We can also disable the AcroTray process using the Autoruns utility developed by Microsoft. With it we can track and control all the programs that start automatically at the start of Windows. To do this, the first thing will be to download its latest available version.
Once the file has been downloaded, we must decompress it using our usual decompressor such as WinRAR, WinZIP or similar. We open the folder and run Autoruns64.exe (or Autoruns if our system is 32-bit) and select Run as administrator.
Once executed we must look for «Acrobat Acrobat Create PDF Helper» and “Adobe Acrobat PDF from Selection” inside the automatic executions window and uncheck the box. Now we only have to close AutoRuns and restart the PC to verify that the AcroTray process no longer starts automatically.
The best
This is a program that is developed by Microsoft itself, so it adapts perfectly to its operating system…
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