Prevent Microsoft 365 from automatically loading Adobe PDFMaker template after update or Windows 11 Update

Question

This is a two-part question. I use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook Classic on a Windows PC and on a Macintosh.(am a freelance editor and designer and hope for clients on both platforms). I also have a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, including Acrobat Pro. Adobe has an add-in called PDFMaker Macro. It clutters up my ribbon and it frequently causes errors in my MS 365 applications. I don't like it, and if I want to output a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file as a PDF, I use F12 (on Windows) or <FN>-F12> on Macintosh, and specify the options I need in the PDF manually.
Here are my questions:

1. Windows: On the Windows side, I have learned how to remove the PDFMaker Macro by starting my apps as an Administrator, going into Options, managing .COM add-ins, and removing PDFMaker Macro. But after the next Windows update -- even a security update -- PDFMaker Macro reinstalls itself and I have to go through the whole routine of removing it again. How can I stop PDFMaker Macro from automatically reinstalling itself in my Microsoft 365 applications on my Windows computer.

2. Macintosh

A. How can I manage .COM add-ins in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for Macintosh? I don't even know how to get to them, much less remove PDFMaker Macro.

B. Is there a way I can prevent PDFMaker Macro from installing itself in Microsoft apps on the Mac platform?

Appreciate a response

Answer 1

Your best bet is to contact Adobe Support. It's their product which they should know better than anyone. The details vary based on platform & version but Adobe is familiar with all combinations.

Answer 2

On Windows, Adobe PDFMaker is a third‑party COM add‑in. Office updates and Adobe updates can reinstall or re‑enable it, and there is no supported Microsoft setting that permanently blocks only this add‑in from returning. The supported options are:

1. Keep Adobe PDFMaker compatible and stable
   • Ensure the installed PDFMaker version is compatible with the Office version. Incompatible PDFMaker is a known cause of crashes and errors.
   • Use Adobe’s compatibility matrix: see “Compatible web browsers and PDFMaker applications” to match Office and PDFMaker versions.
   • If the installed PDFMaker is older than the minimum supported version for the Office build, upgrade the Adobe product so that the PDFMOfficeAddin.dll version meets the minimum for the Office version in use.
2. Disable the PDFMaker COM add‑in in Office
   • In each Office app (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) on Windows:
     1. Select File > Options > Add‑ins.
     2. At the bottom, next to Manage, select COM Add‑ins, then Go.
     3. Clear the Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Addin (or Adobe PDF) check box.
     4. Select OK.
   • This is the supported UI method to disable the add‑in. However, Office or Adobe updates can re‑add or re‑enable the add‑in.
3. Force PDFMaker to stay disabled via the registry (Windows)
   • For advanced control, the add‑in can be disabled at the registry level for each Office application where it appears. This is the supported Microsoft method to prevent the add‑in from loading.
   • Before editing the registry, back it up using the guidance in back up the registry for restoration.
   • For each affected Office program (replace <Office program> with word, excel, powerpoint, outlook, etc.):
     1. Exit the Office application.
     2. Open an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator) and start Registry Editor.
     3. Locate and select:
        • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\office\<Office program>\addins\PDFMaker.OfficeAddin
        • If the key exists, set the LoadBehavior value to 0.
     4. Repeat for:
        • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Office program>\Addins\PDFMaker.OfficeAddin
        • If present, set LoadBehavior to 0.
   • Setting LoadBehavior to 0 prevents the add‑in from loading even if it is present. If Adobe or Office updates recreate the keys, this step may need to be repeated, but registry‑level disabling is more persistent than only clearing the check box in COM Add‑ins.
4. If Office apps crash or misbehave because of PDFMaker
   • When Office apps crash or stop responding and PDFMaker is installed, this is a known incompatibility scenario. The supported resolutions are:
     • Upgrade the Adobe product so that PDFMaker is compatible with the Office version.
     • Or disable the Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Add‑in using the COM Add‑ins dialog or the registry method above.
5. macOS: managing Adobe PDFMaker
   • The provided material covers Adobe PDFMaker and COM add‑ins only for Office on Windows. It does not provide steps or mechanisms for managing COM add‑ins or Adobe PDFMaker on Office for Mac, nor any supported way to prevent PDFMaker from installing or loading in Office for Mac.
   • No Microsoft‑documented method in this material exists to manage or block the Adobe PDFMaker macro/add‑in on macOS.

In summary:

• On Windows, the supported ways to keep PDFMaker from loading are to ensure compatibility (to avoid errors) or to disable it via File > Options > Add‑ins > COM Add‑ins and, more persistently, by setting LoadBehavior = 0 under the PDFMaker.OfficeAddin registry keys for each Office app.
• For macOS, no supported Microsoft method is documented here to manage or block the Adobe PDFMaker add‑in.

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References:

• Incompatibilities between Office programs and Adobe Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Add-in
• Get the Adobe Acrobat tab to appear
• You are prompted to save the changes to the Normal.dotm template every time you quit Word