Adobe Acrobat is Adobe’s PDF software used to save, edit, and read PDF files. As you use Adobe Acrobat you may get an error message Acrobat failed to connect to a DDE server. There is no need to panic, you may just need to do a few simple things to fix this error. Windows DDE server or Windows Dynamic Exchange Server is a protocol, which is a set of guidelines. It helps applications and programs communicate with each other.
Fix Acrobat failed to connect to a DDE server Fatal Error
The Acrobat failed to connect to a DDE server error may not happen to everyone or may just happen once. This article will show you how to fix this error easily and even prevent it from happening. The easiest fixes will be shown first and if these don’t help, keep following the steps.
- Restart Acrobat
- Repair the Acrobat installer
- Update Acrobat
- Temporarily disable your antivirus
1] Restart Acrobat
Whenever you set out to troubleshoot any software problems, always start with the easiest step first. Many software issues can be easily fixed by simply restarting the software. You can close the software and reopen it. If this does not help you can move on to the next step.
2] Repair the Acrobat installer
Acrobat may display the error Acrobat failed to connect to a DDE server if there is a corrupt or missing file. In this case, you can try to repair the Acrobat installer. To repair the installer go to Start then type Program and Features then click Add or Remove program.
The Apps > Installed apps window will appear showing you the apps that are installed on your device.
Click the three dots (…) beside the Adobe Acrobat app the drop-down menu will appear.
From the menu that appears, click Modify.
The Adobe Acrobat Application Maintenance window will appear, click Next to continue.
In the next window, you would select Repair and then click Next to continue.
In the next window, you would click Update to continue the repair process. If you want to go back and make changes, you can press Back. You can also press Cancel if you want to cancel the repair process and close the window.
3] Update Acrobat
If you are at this step, then it means that restarting Acrobat did not fix the problem. Normally you can update Acrobat by opening it, then go to Help, then Check for updates. However, since Acrobat is not opening, you will have to uninstall it, then go to the Adobe website and download the most recent version. To uninstall then reinstall Acrobat click Start then, type Program and Features, then click Add or remove programs.
The Apps > Installed apps window will appear, showing you the apps that are installed on your device.
Click the three dots (…) beside the Adobe Acrobat app the drop-down menu will appear.
Click Uninstall and then follow the steps to uninstall. When Acrobat is uninstalled, go to Adobe’s website and reinstall Acrobat.
Read: How to add, update or remove a watermark in Acrobat
4] Temporarily disable your antivirus
If the previous steps do not help, then you may need to disable your antivirus. Depending on your antivirus, the steps will be different. If the error goes away after you have disabled your antivirus, then you will need to remove the old antivirus and install another.
Read: How to add File or Folder to Antivirus Exception List in Windows 11
How do I fix Acrobat’s failure to connect to the DDE server?
Acrobat not being able to connect to the DDE server can be quite frustrating. There are a few ways to fix this error.
- Restart Acrobat
- Repair the Acrobat installer
- Update Acrobat
- Temporarily disable your antivirus.
What is the DDE Server?
Windows DDE server or Windows Dynamic Exchange Server is a set of guidelines. It helps applications and programs communicate with each other. If you have failed to connect to a DDE server, you have a problem with that software connecting to Windows DDE Server. You can follow the steps above to fix the problem.
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