9 Ways to Fix “Adobe Fill & Sign Not Working” Issue

Adobe Fill and Sign is used to add text or signs to documents. However, failing to use the feature or app can be quite frustrating. You may notice the issue with multiple Adobe products such as Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, Adobe Document Cloud, or the Adobe Fill and Sign mobile application.

There can be different variants of the problem. Firstly, the feature is not visible in Tools. Secondly, if shown in Tools, the app crashes as soon as the Fill and Sign feature is opened. Thirdly, if you are able to open the feature, its toolbar may become gray or the screen may become blank.

At times, some buttons on the toolbar may work while others do not. For example, the text input might be unresponsive while the checkmark and cross functions work correctly. In some cases, the problem is triggered by an update to an Adobe product.

Troubleshooting Prerequisites

• Check if the issue is limited to a single file or multiple files. Try using the feature or app with a document created by yourself.
• If the issue is occurring with Adobe Reader (free version), remember that the free version cannot be used with a file that has metadata attached to it.
• If you have opened the PDF file through an email, it will be read only. Download the file and retry to use Adobe Fill and Sign on the downloaded file.
• For a Form, the Fill and Sign tool will work differently depending on the form’s structure. Check if the problematic document is not a form with active fields. For some forms, the sign option only enables when the other fields are filled correctly e.g., after clicking on the Check Form button.
• If you cannot delete a sign from a document, right-click or long-click on the signature and click on the Minus sign.
• If you are trying to use Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) on a document, remember to plug in the associated USB dongle.

How to Make Adobe Fill and Sign Work

We will try to make Adobe Fill and Sign work either by editing the app’s preferences or reinstalling it.

1. Restart the Device and Router

The Adobe Fill and Sign will stop working if the device modules are in an error state and as a result, the application is failing to communicate with its servers. Here, restarting the device and router (if the issue is occurring with the online version of the app) will solve the problem.

1. Power off your device and router.

   

2. Wait for a minute and power on the router.
3. Power on the device and check if Adobe Fill and Sign is working correctly.

2. Re-log into the Adobe Fill and Sign

You will be unable to use Adobe Fill and Sign if it fails to authorize your profile. To resolve this issue, log out of the app and then log back in using your Adobe credentials. This will make the app to download the updated profile from its servers.

1. Launch the problematic app such as Adobe Acrobat.
2. Expand Help and click on Sign in/Sign Out.

   

3. Log out of the account and restart your system.
4. Launch the required app and sign in. See if the issue is resolved.

3. Update the Device’s OS and Adobe App

Adobe Fill and Sign will not function correctly if either the device’s operating system or the Adobe app (such as Adobe Acrobat) is outdated. This can result in incompatibility between the two. To rectify this, update both the device’s operating system and the Adobe app to their latest versions.

Update the Adobe App

To update Adobe Acrobat on a PC:

1. Launch Adobe Acrobat and expand its Help menu.
2. Select Check for Updates and install updates (if available).

   

3. Restart your system and check if the Adobe Fill and Sign issue is resolved.

Update the Device’s OS

To update a Mac:

1. Launch System Settings and go to General > Software Update.
2. Check for updates and install all the available updates.

   

3. Restart the Mac and verify if the signing problem is solved.

4. Use the Print to PDF

You will not be able to use Fill and Sign if the document has structural issues such as a form with active fields. To overcome this, use print to PDF. This will flatten the active fields and let you sign the document or add text to it.

On Windows

1. Complete the all fields that you can and open File.
2. Select Print and open the Printer dropdown.
3. Select Microsoft Print to PDF and click on Print.

   

4. Select the location where you want to save the file.
5. Open the printed file and check if that does the trick.

On a Mac

1. Right-click on the PDF and select Open With > Chrome.
2. Once the file opens in Chrome, open Print and select Print to PDF or Save as PDF.

   

3. Select the details and once printed, open the printed file in the Adobe application. See if Fill and Sign is working correctly.

If the print-to-PDF does not work, convert the file to a Word file and re-print it to PDF. See if that does the trick.

Export to Postscript

1. Launch the Adobe application and open the problematic file.
2. Expand File and select Export to > Postscript.

   

3. Save the file and open the saved file in Adobe Acrobat.
4. Save the PS file in PDF format and open it. See if Adobe Fill and Sign works.

5. Edit the Preferences of the Adobe Product

You won’t be able to sign or fill documents using the Adobe application if certain application preferences are incompatible with the signing feature. To solve this, edit the preferences of the Adobe product as mentioned below.

Disable Modern User Interface

1. Launch Adobe Acrobat and go to Edit > Preferences > Signatures.

   

2. In the right pane, click on More for Creation and Appearance.

   

3. Deselect the option of Use Modern Interface for Signing and Digital ID Configuration.

   

4. Click OK and check if the problem is solved.

Disable Protected Mode at Startup

1. Open the Adobe Acrobat Preferences and go to Security (Enhanced) tab.
2. Uncheck Enable Protected Mode at Startup and click OK.

   

3. Restart the system and check if the Fill and Sign feature is working properly.

Change Language

1. Launch the Adobe Acrobat and go to Edit > Preferences > Language.
2. Set Application Language to English and click OK.

   

3. Restart the system and check if the Fill and Sign feature is working correctly.
4. If not, change the Application Language to Same as the Operating System and verify if this gets the job done.

   

5. If this does not work, right-click Windows and select Apps & Features.
6. Expand the option of Adobe Acrobat and click on Modify.
7. Follow the prompts on the screen but during the process, make sure the language is set to English (not English with Arabic Support or something else).
8. Once done, restart the system and check if the signing in Adobe Acrobat is operating correctly.

Change Warning Preferences

1. Launch Adobe Acrobat and go to Edit > Preferences > Signatures.
2. Click on More for Creation and Appearance.
3. Set the option of Enable Review of Documents Warning to Always.
4. Set the option of Prevent Signing Until Warning Are Reviewed to Never.

   

5. Click OK and relaunch the application. See if signing is back to normal.

Check the Security of the Document

1. Launch Adobe Acrobat and expand File.
2. Select Properties and go to Security.

   

3. Check if signing is allowed or if the document is password-protected. If so, contact the document originator to amend the document’s security for signing or filling.

Use the Certificates Option

1. Launch Adobe Acrobat and open the problematic document.
2. Open Tools and click on Certificates.

   

3. Select Digitally Sign and follow the prompts to complete the process. See if that clears the problem. Make sure to use the same E-mail ID that is used with Adobe Acrobat. This can be changed later on in Preferences > Identity.

   

Reset Preferences

To do so on a Windows PC:

1. Restart the system, and without launching any Adobe product, navigate to the following path by using the Run Command box:

   %appdata%\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\

   

2. Delete the Preferences folder and restart the system. To be safe, you can copy the Preferences folder to another location before deleting it.
3. Launch Adobe Acrobat and check if its signing issue is cleared.

6. Disable or Uninstall Conflicting Applications

The Fill and Sign feature of the Adobe product will not work if another application on your system is interfering with its execution, such as your system’s antivirus or firewall. This issue can be resolved by disabling or uninstalling such an application.

Disable the Security Product

To disable ESET on a Windows PC:

1. Expand the hidden icons of the system tray and right-click on the ESET icon.
2. Select Pause Protection and repeat the same to Pause Firewall. Verify if Fill and Sign is operating correctly.

   

Uninstall the Security Product

To uninstall ESET on a Windows PC:

1. Right-click on Windows and select Apps & Features.
2. Expand the options of ESET and click on Uninstall.

   

3. Follow the prompts on the screen to complete the process and once done, restart the system.
4. Launch the Adobe product and see if its signing functionality is working correctly.

7. Clear the Cache of the Adobe App

The cache of the Adobe app holds essential configurations regarding the signing feature. If these configurations are damaged or not valid anymore, the Fill and Sign feature will stop working. In such a case, clearing the cache of the Adobe app will solve the problem.

On Windows

1. Restart the system, and without launching any Adobe application, go to the following in the Run Command box:

   %userprofile%\appdata\Local\Adobe\

   

2. Delete the Acrobat folder and go to the following location:

   %userprofile%\appdata\LocalLow\Adobe\

3. Delete the Acrobat folder and go to the following location:

   \%userprofile%\appdata\Roaming\Adobe\

4. Delete the Acrobat folder and launch Adobe Acrobat. These folders will be recreated now.
5. Open Fill and Sign. Check if it is working correctly.

On a Mac

1. Restart the Mac and open Finder.
2. Go to the following:

   ~/Library/Preferences/

   

3. Delete the following:

   adobe.Reader.plist
   
   com.adobe.Acrobat.plist

4. Launch the problematic Adobe app and see if you can sign documents.

8. Use the Document Cloud

If the issue is occurring due to configurational problems with your setup, then using the document cloud can enable you to use the Fill and Sign feature but with limited functionality.

Use Fill and Sign

1. Launch a web browser and go to the Adobe Document Cloud.
2. Log in using your credentials and open Fill and Sign. See if this lets you add the required text or sign.

   

3. If this does not work, try in another browser or use another network and verify if the problem is solved.

Change Sign Online

1. Open the Adobe Document Cloud and go to Adobe Online Services > E-Signing Settings.
2. Open Personal Preferences and select My Signatures.

   

3. Change your signatures and see if the problem is solved. If you have accidentally added a blank sign, make sure to delete it as well.

9. Reinstall the Adobe App

If the essential app modules of the Adobe app in use are damaged, you will not be able to correctly use Adobe Fill and Sign. This can be solved by reinstalling the Adobe app.

To reinstall Adobe Acrobat on a Windows PC:

Uninstall Through Windows Settings

1. Right-click Windows and open Apps & Features.
2. Expand the options for Adobe Acrobat and click on Uninstall.

   

3. Follow the prompts on the screen to complete the uninstallation.
4. Once uninstalled, restart the system and reinstall Adobe Acrobat.
5. Launch it and confirm if the Fille and Sign feature is operating correctly.

Uninstall by Using Official AcroCleaner Tool

1. If the issue persists, uninstall Adobe Acrobat by using the official AcroCleaner tool.

   

2. Restart the system and reinstall the application.
3. Launch the application and see if this does the trick.

Reinstall the 32-bit Version of the Adobe Product

1. If the above does not work, uninstall the Adobe product by using any of the above methods.
2. Download and install the 32-bit version of the required Adobe application.

   

3. Launch it and verify if the issue is cleared.
4. If this fails to rectify the problem, uninstall the Adobe application and install an older version of the product. See if the problem is solved.

If the issue persists, reset, restore, or reinstall the device’s OS. If this doesn’t solve the problem, reach out to Adobe Support for assistance. You can ask them to remove and re-add your profile (avoid adding it back yourself). While waiting for the issue to be resolved, you might also consider using an alternative Fille and Sign application.