The above is just one of the many users of Adobe Acrobat who have experienced the “Adobe Acrobat preparing document for reading” problem. If you’ve had similar difficulties when using Acrobat, you’ll know the frustration of having your document freeze. This issue is common in PDFs with complex content, such as technical drawings or scanned images.
In this blog, we’ll provide several practical fixes, complete with step-by-step guides designed to be easy to follow, reassuring you that you can resolve these issues easily.
Fix 1: Open PDF with Adobe Acrobat Alternative
If you need a quick and reliable solution to the “Adobe Acrobat preparing document for reading” crashes, consider downloading UPDF. This free PDF reader offers a seamless, crash-free experience.
UPDF is not only a reliable solution but also very affordable for those who wish to upgrade to the pro version, costing only a fraction of what Adobe Acrobat costs. Why not try UPDF yourself for free with the link below and see if it suits your needs? Also, check out our quick guide below for reading your PDFs stress-free with UPDF.
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Step 1: Opening Your PDF in UPDF
If you haven’t yet done so, download and launch UPDF. Next, click “Open File” and pick which PDF file you’d like to view.
Step 2: Reading Your PDF
Now, you can have different options to read the PDF. You can change to view settings with display mode, eye protection mode, scrolling method, and more. You can also use its UPDF AI to improve your working efficiency by translating, summarizing, explaining, rewriting, writing, etc. Want to take notes when reading? UPDF gets you covered, you can use the comments feature to underline, highlight, add notes….

UPDF is a free PDF reader that offers an intuitive interface, fast performance, and a stress-free experience when reading your PDF documents, making it the perfect solution when Acrobat won’t cooperate.
That’s not all, for a very budget-friendly price, you can upgrade to the pro version of UPDF, which has many additional features such as:
- PDF Editing: Edit text, images, and links in existing or new documents.
- Document Conversion: Convert your PDF files to Word, Excel, and more.
- Annotation Tools: Add highlights, notes, and more to your PDFs.
- OCR: Extract text from scanned documents.
- Batch Processing: Convert, edit, and manage multiple documents at once.
- Budget-Friendly Pricing: Costs only a fraction of what other PDF editors cost.
- User-Friendly Interface: Designed with an intuitive interface.
- AI Assistant: Summarize PDFs instantly, chat with AI, and create mindmaps to digest information quickly.
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These are just a few of the many features UPDF has to offer. If you’d like to learn more about UPDF and how it compares to Adobe Acrobat, check out this in-depth review. Or if you’d prefer, check out the video below to learn why UPDF is the best PDF editor on the market.
UPDF is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Click the link below to try the free version or purchase the pro version at an incredibly affordable price.
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However, if you’d prefer to use Adobe Acrobat and want a fix for the “Adobe Acrobat preparing document for reading” freezing issue, we’ll cover that in the following sections with step-by-step guides.
Fix 2. Change the Screen Reader Options
Acrobat's screen reader feature is a regular source of its Adobe Acrobat document is being prepared for reading issue. When this option is enabled, Acrobat processes the entire document and prepares it for reading to assist visually impaired users. So let’s disable it.
Step 1: Finding the Setting
Open Acrobat and select “Menu” in the top-left corner, then choose "Preferences.”

Step 2: Changing the Screen Reader Option
Now select “Reading” from the list of categories on the left. Next, click the dropdown next to “Page vs Document” and choose “Do not read the document.” Finally, click “Ok” to save your changes.

Also Read: How to Fix Spell Checker is Not Working in Word? 6 Proven Ways
Fix 3: Uncheck the “Enable Assistive Technology Support”
Another setting that can cause Acrobat to get the error of Adobe Acrobat being prepared for reading is the assistive technology support option.
Step 1: Finding the Setting
Click “Menu” in the top left, followed by “Preferences”.
Step 2: Disabling Assistive Technology Support
Select “Accessibility,” and under Other Accessibility Options, uncheck “Enable assistive technology support”. Then hit "OK” to save the changes.

Fix 4. Uncheck All Read Out Loud Options
One more setting that could be causing the “Adobe Acrobat preparing document for reading” lag issues is the read out loud feature. If this isn’t required, disabling it can help speed up PDF loading and eliminate any delays.
Step 1: Finding the Setting
Click “Menu” in the top left, followed by “Preferences.”
Step 2: Disabling Read Out Loud Options
Select “Reading” from the categories on the left. Under “Read Out Loud Options,” uncheck everything and hit “OK” to save changes.

Fix 5. Reinstall Adobe Acrobat
If the Adobe Acrobat preparing document for reading continues to persist after trying the above fixes, the next option is to try reinstalling Adobe Acrobat. This can help resolve any corrupted files or settings causing the difficulties you’re facing.
Step 1: Find Add or remove programs
Type “Program” in the search bar on your taskbar and select “Add or remove programs.”

Step 2: Uninstall Adobe Acrobat
Using the search bar, you can quickly find Acrobat in the list of applications. Next, click “Uninstall” and follow the prompts.

Step 3: Restart and Redownload
After uninstalling Acrobat, restart your computer, head to Adobe’s website, and redownload the latest version.
Also Read: Acrobat Failed to Send a DDE Command? 7 Fixes
Final Thoughts
In summary, having your workflow disrupted by lag caused by the “Adobe Acrobat preparing document for reading” problem can be a headache. Luckily, fixes are available, from adjusting settings to reinstalling the software or using more reliable software, UPDF, when working with complex PDFs.
UPDF allows you to work stress-free when dealing with PDF documents. UPDF's PDF reader is free and incredibly easy to use, opens PDFs quickly, and does not have the errors that plague Acrobat. UPDF is fast and reliable, has a budget-friendly price, and has access to many amazing features if you choose to upgrade. Try UPDF today using the link below!
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