Microsoft and Adobe are adding to their years-long partnership by bringing Adobe’s PDF, e-signature and document automation tools directly to 1.4 billion Windows users by adding those capabilities to Microsoft Edge by powering the built-in PDF reader with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine.
According to the companies, the deeper integration is designed to give users a unique PDF experience that includes higher fidelity for more accurate colors and graphics improved performance, enhanced security for PDF handling and better accessibility such as better text selection and read-aloud narration.
Essentially, the integration allows users to use Acrobat within the Microsoft Edge web browser without having to download or switch to a separate application.
Users who need more advanced digital document features such as editing text and images, converting PDFs to other formats and combining files will have to purchase an Acrobat subscription that enables access to those features anywhere, including directly inside Edge via a browser extension, the companies say.
Microsoft Edge users with existing Acrobat subscriptions can use the Acrobat extension in Edge at no extra cost, per the announcement.
Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of modern work and business applications, says the enhanced integration will help improve productivity.
“Adobe’s PDF technology in Microsoft Edge means users will have fast and secure access to critical digital document capabilities,” Spataro says.
Meanwhile, Ashley Still, Adobe’s senior vice president and general manager says PDF is essential for modern businesses that rely on automation and collaboration.
“By bringing the global standard in PDF experience to Microsoft Edge and the billion-plus Windows users worldwide, Adobe and Microsoft are using our joint heritage and expertise in productivity to take an important step forward in making modern, secure, and connected work and life a reality,” Still says.
Read Next: Adobe, Microsoft Launch New Acrobat Integration in Teams
What IT needs to know about the Adobe Acrobat PDF, Microsoft Edge integration
According to Microsoft, the transition to the built-in Microsoft Edge PDF reader with the Adobe Acrobat PDF rendering engine will begin rolling out in March 2023, with an initial opt-in for managed devices via Intune policy. The Edge PDF solution in the legacy engine will be removed in March 2024, the company adds.
These Acrobat PDF capabilities will initially be available on Windows 10 and 11 only, and availability on macOS will be coming sometime in the future, according to Microsoft.
The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF solution with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine will have “full feature parity” with the legacy Microsoft Edge PDF solution, Microsoft says in a Tech Community blog, and no functionality will be lost.
Users will only see an Adobe brand mark in the bottom corner of their PDF view, along with an option to try advanced features such as format converting, combining files and editing text and images.
Here is how the changes affect commercial and educational organizations, according to Microsoft’s FAQ:
How will this affect commercial organizations?
When rollout begins in March 2023, there will be no changes to managed Windows devices in organizations unless you choose to opt in. Users on unmanaged Windows devices will see an unobtrusive Adobe brand mark in the bottom corner of their PDF view. These users will also see an option to try the advanced features, such as converting PDFs, combining files, editing text and images. If an organization chooses to opt in, users on managed devices will see the same changes. The built-in Microsoft Edge PDF solution with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine will have full feature parity with the legacy Microsoft Edge PDF solution. No functionality will be lost.
Users can sign in with their existing Adobe Acrobat subscription or can select the option to purchase an Adobe Acrobat subscription and download the Adobe Acrobat extension to use the advanced digital document features in Microsoft Edge.
How will this affect educational organizations?
EDU users on managed Windows devices will follow the same protocol as managed devices in commercial organizations. For EDU users that are not on a managed Windows device, they will automatically receive Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge starting in March 2023.
To opt into using Adobe Acrobat PDF capabilities in Microsoft Edge at launch, IT administrators in commercial organizations will need to enable the “NewPDFReaderOptInEnabled” policy in order to test the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine, Microsoft says.
For organizations that want to make a gradual change, they can opt-in beginning next month, and rollouts to managed devices will begin in September 2023–albeit with the ability to opt out. The opt-out policy will expire in March 2024, and the Microsoft Ege legacy PDF engine will be removed, per Microsoft’s FAQ.
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