Purchase and Install Adobe Acrobat Pro

Overview

When working with PDFs (Portable Document Format files), there are two types of Adobe software that are useful:

• Adobe Reader DC is a free software for viewing, signing and printing PDF documents.
  • Note: The Canva website (canva.com/pdf-editor) also provides more advanced, free PDF functionality.
• Adobe Acrobat Pro DC which requires an individual license. 

In some specificly designated divisional employee roles, in-depth PDF capabilities are needed, which will require their departmental purchase for an Adobe Acrobat Pro DC license through Digital Strategies and Services. Adobe now uses a subscription-based license model with licenses running somewhere between $125 to $150 per year, per user. 

Team members are asked to be fiscally responsible and see if they can use any of the free software instead of Acrobat Pro. 

This article explains each software's capabilities and options. 

If Acrobat Pro DC is justified and required, follow these steps to purchase and install. 

Request a License

1. Obtain permission from a departmental manager and have a fiscal officer or authorized requester (HR manager, coordinator, etc.) submit a ticket on RHS Ticket under Software and Applications > Computer program or software request or renewal. 
2. They must select Request for Service. 
3. Fill in all fields, including the Billing Account Number and description, to request Adobe Acrobat Pro DC for the person needing the software. 
   1. Be sure to include the recipient's MSU email address, as this is needed for Adobe to assign the license for log-in.
4. In the Software or Application field, select Adobe Software.
5. Complete the rest of the fields and select Submit. 

Set Up Your Adobe Account

1. When your license is purchased, you will receive a "Get Started with Acrobat Pro" email from Adobe asking you to set up an account and install the software.
    
   
    
2. From the email, select the blue Get Started button. 
   1. If you do not have an existing Adobe account, create one using your MSU email address.
   2. If you already have an account, make sure you are signed out, then follow the link to Get Started and sign in again. 
      
      
       
   3. You may be prompted to enter a phone number. You can skip this step with the Not Now option.
      
      
       
3. After logging in, you are taken to the download page, and an installer file for Adobe Acrobat Pro will automatically download and be saved to the default location for your computer (typically your Downloads folder). 
   
   
   
   Disregard any installer file that is provided for downloading. That installation requires elevated access and a DSS technician.

Instead, follow the steps in the section below to complete the installation yourself and install Acrobat Pro DC without a technician's assistance.

Uninstalling Previous Versions of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

1. From the Windows Start menu, search for Software Center and open the application. 
   
    
2. When Software Center opens, select the Installation status tab along the left side menu.
   
    
3. Find and select the listing for Adobe Acrobat Pro.* (Do not select Acrobat Reader DC).
   
   
    
4. Select the green Uninstall button. If it doesn't respond the first time you click it, click it again until it shows "Uninstalling" and a progress wheel.
   
   
    
5. When it is finished, the button will change to Install so you know it is done and you have completed this part.
   
   *Note: If you know that Acrobat Pro is installed on your device, but is not available to uninstall in Software Center, contact the DSS Service Desk at 517-896-5207, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Installing Adobe Creative Cloud and Acrobat Pro 2025 via the Software Center

1. From the Windows Start menu, search for Software Center and open the application.
    
    
2. When Software Center opens, make sure the Applications tab is selected. Find and select the listing for Adobe Creative Cloud.
    
   
    
3. Select the green Install button to install Adobe Creative Cloud.
    
   
    
4. Software Center will display "installing..." and show the download progress in the "status" section. It could take approximately an hour for Creative Cloud to fully finish downloading and installing.
   
   
    
5. When the download is complete, the status section will read "installed" and the green "install" button will change to "uninstall". You can now close Software Center.
   
   
    
6. You can now open Creative Cloud. Opening the Windows start menu should show the software in the "recommended" section of the start menu.
    
    
7. Or you can use the Windows Search and look for Adobe Creative Cloud to find and open the program.
   
   
    
8. After opening Creative Cloud, you may be prompted to enter your MSU email address to sign in to your Adobe account.
   
   
    
9. Enter the password you previously created. 
   
   
    
10. After logging in, Creative Cloud will likely display some pop-up tutorials and welcome messages, these can be disregarded by closing or choosing "done".
    
    
     
11. You will now see the Creative Cloud homepage. From the left side menu, select "apps" to navigate to the apps section.
    
    
     
12. In the apps section, Acrobat will be visible at the top of the page in the "essential in your plan" section. Click "install" underneath Acrobat to begin the Adobe Acrobat Pro installation.
    
    
     
13. Installation will begin and progress will be visible. It may take approximately 20 minutes for the Acrobat installation to complete.
14. When installation is complete, the button will change to "open," and Acrobat will be listed under "installed apps" on the right side of the applications page. Select the "open" button to open Acrobat Pro.
    
    
     
15. When opening for the first time, you may be prompted to deactivate an existing device, if you have previously activated Acrobat on two devices. In order for you to activate and use Acrobat on your device, you will need to choose "sign out" on one of the previously activated devices.
    
    
     
16. You will see a "Welcome to Adobe Acrobat" welcome page upon opening the software for the first time. Choose "continue."
    
    
17. You will then see a first-time tutorial pop-up. You can choose "take the tour" to learn more about Acrobat, or choose the "X" button at the top right of the pop-up to close and ignore it.
    
    
     
18. You will be asked if you would like to set Adobe Acrobat as the default PDF application. In most circumstances, choose "yes" unless you want them to open in a browser typically.
    
    
     
19. A pop-up will appear to set the default .pdf application. Acrobat will already be selected, you will just need to click the blue "set default" button. Acrobat Pro is now installed, activated, set as the default PDF software, and should be fully functional for use at this point.
    
    
     
20. After Adobe is installed, you can open, edit, organize or export PDFs.
     
     
21. For more information on using Adobe Acrobat Pro, when you have the program opened, select the question mark icon in the top menu, then select Acrobat Tutorials.