Acrobat and Reader Process Monitor

The AcroMonitor Tool helps users troubleshoot problems that occur when the product is running; for example, crashes, error dialogs, and non-working features. It collects information about running processes, your system environment, and other log details, and allows you to collect:

  • Process dump

  • Process monitor Log

  • Registry dump

  • List of installed applications

Once the data is automatically collected and stored on your computer, you can examine it yourself or send it to someone for further analysis.

Download

By downloading the software listed below, I acknowledge that I have read and agreed to the terms of the Adobe PDF Test Toolkit License, the Adobe.com Terms of Use and the Adobe Online Privacy Policy.

Latest: 11/17/2022: Process Monitor Tool (ZIP, 56.5 KB).

Installation

  1. Download the zip file.

  2. Unzip the file to any location.

User instructions

  1. Double click AcroMon.exe.

  2. Check Advanced Logging if you want full memory dumps. The default setting collects mini dumps which provide information similar to that provided by Windows Error Reporting reports.

  3. Check PDF on Internet and provide an URL if problem appears only in a browser.

  4. Choose the target application (Acrobat or Reader).

  5. Choose Start. The application is launched automatically.

  6. If a User Account Control prompt appears, choose Yes to give the Process Monitor permission to run.

  7. Perform the workflow where you are see the problem (the crash or freeze).

  8. Choose Stop Monitor.

  9. If a User Account Control prompt appears, choose Yes to give the Process Monitor permission to run.

  10. Choose Exit.

  11. Wait for AcroMonitor icon to disappear from the task bar (if it does not close, choose Exit).

  12. Go to %temp%/AcroMon/ to view the logs (C:Users<user>AppDataLocalTempAcroMon)

Viewing the output files

  • DMP files: .dmp files are snapshots of a program. Use Visual Studio, Windbg, or some other debugger to view these files. These snapshots when generated with the “advanced logging” option will dump the entire process memory into the dmp file for investigation.

  • PMC files: .pmc files are procmon filters that you can use to narrow down the logging and log activities that involve processes with “acro” or “iexplore” in their name. To view the rules which control how the file is generated, run procmon and choose File > Import configuration, and then choose Go to Filter > Filter.

Known Issues

  • The Process Monitor might take long time to close in certain scenarios. In that case, close it from the task bar.

  • For testing workflows that involve the browser, not that the tool only supports Internet Explorer where PDFs are viewed on the Internet. The tool ignores default browser settings.

  • When the product crashes on exit, you may not see the crash but the correct logs are collected.

Frequently Asked Questions

What products and versions work with the cleaner tool?

The tool supports both Acrobat and Acrobat Reader for versions 10.x, and later (both tracks).

Does running the tool write to a log?

During execution, output files are written to %temp%/acromonitor/.

What are the system requirements?

The tool can be used on any system.

When should the tool be used?

The tool should be used to troubleshoot any problems that occur when the product is running, including crashes, error dialogs, non-working features.

How do I uninstall the tool?

To uninstall the tool, just delete it.