Adobe Reader DC Silent Install (How-To Guide)

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The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is used for viewing, printing, signing, sharing, and annotating PDFs. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Adobe Reader DC from the command line using both EXE & MSI installers.

How to Install Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Silently

Adobe Reader DC Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Navigate to https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/
  2. Select an Operating System from the drop-down menu
  3. Select a Language from the drop-down menu
  4. Select a Version from the drop-down menu
  5. Click Download Now
  6. Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  7. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  8. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  9. Enter the following command:
    • AcroRdrDC2300820533_en_US.exe /sAll /rs /msi EULA_ACCEPT=YES
  10. Press Enter

After a minute or so you should see the Adobe Reader Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Vendor:Adobe Systems Incorporated
Version:23.008.20533
Architecture:x86
Installer Type:EXE
Silent Install Switch:AcroRdrDC2300820533_en_US.exe /sAll /rs /msi EULA_ACCEPT=YES
Silent Uninstall Switch:MsiExec.exe /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AC0F074E4100} /qn
Repair Command:MsiExec.exe /fa {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AC0F074E4100} /qn
Video Tutorial:Adobe Reader DC Silent Install (How-To Guide)
PowerShell Script:Adobe Reader DC | PowerShell Script
Detection Script:Adobe Reader DC | Custom Detection Script

Adobe Reader DC Silent Install (MSI)

  1. Navigate to https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/
  2. Select an Operating System from the drop-down menu
  3. Select a Language from the drop-down menu
  4. Select a Version from the drop-down menu
  5. Click Download Now
  6. Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  7. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  8. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  9. Enter the following command to extract the MSI:
    • AcroRdrDC2300820533_en_US.exe -sfx_o"C:\Downloads\ReaderDC" -sfx_ne
  10. Press Enter
  11. Navigate to the C:\Downloads\ReaderDC folder
  12. Open the abcpy.ini file
  13. Add the following line under OEM Installation Options Section
    • EULA_ACCEPT=YES
  14. Save and Close the abcpy.ini file
  15. Open Notepad and Add the following line:
    • MsiExec.exe /i "%~dp0AcroRead.msi" PATCH="%~dp0AcroRdrDCUpd2300820533.msp" /qn
  16. Save the file as Install.cmd to the C:\Downloads\ReaderDC directory & Close
  17. Enter the following command: Install.cmd
  18. Press Enter

After a minute or so you should see the Adobe Reader Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Vendor:Adobe Systems Incorporated
Version:23.008.20533
Architecture:x86
Installer Type:MSI
Silent Install Switch:MsiExec.exe /i "%~dp0AcroRead.msi" PATCH="%~dp0AcroRdrDCUpd2300820533.msp" /qn
Silent Uninstall Switch:MsiExec.exe /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AC0F074E4100} /qn
Repair Command:MsiExec.exe /fa {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AC0F074E4100} /qn
Video Tutorial:Adobe Reader DC Silent Install (How-To Guide)
PowerShell Script:Adobe Reader DC | PowerShell Script
Detection Script:Adobe Reader DC | Custom Detection Script

The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.

Additional Configurations

Create an Adobe Reader Installation Log File

Generating a log file during installation will assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.

Adobe Reader DC (EXE) Silent Install with Logging

AcroRdrDC2300820533_en_US.exe /sAll /rs /msi EULA_ACCEPT=YES /L*V "%WINDIR%\Temp\AdobeReader-Install.log"

Adobe Reader DC (MSI) Silent Install with Logging

MsiExec.exe /i "%~dp0AcroRead.msi" PATCH="%~dp0AcroRdrDCUpd2300820533.msp" /qn /L*V "%WINDIR%\Temp\AdobeReader-Install.log"

Exclude the Adobe Reader DC Desktop Shortcut During Install

The Adobe Reader DC installers create a desktop shortcut by default. If you do not want the desktop shortcut, then you can run the following command line switches to exclude it.

Adobe Reader DC (EXE) Silent Install with No Desktop Shortcut

AcroRdrDC2300820533_en_US.exe /sAll /rs /msi EULA_ACCEPT=YES DISABLEDESKTOPSHORTCUT=1

Adobe Reader DC (MSI) Silent Install with No Desktop Shortcut

MsiExec.exe /i "%~dp0AcroRead.msi" PATCH="%~dp0AcroRdrDCUpd2300820533.msp" DISABLEDESKTOPSHORTCUT=1 /qn

Apply Patch to Existing Adobe Reader Installation

Check out the Adobe Reader DC Patch Install (PowerShell) post for a scripted solution

If you would like to apply a patch to an already existing installation of Adobe Reader, then you can perform the following steps:

  • Download the latest version of Adobe Reader DC
  • Extract the contents of the EXE with 7-Zip (or follow steps mentioned earlier in the article)
  • Copy the AcroRdrDCUpd2300820533.msp file to C:\Downloads
  • Open Notepad and Add the following line:
  • MsiExec.exe /p "%~dp0AcroRdrDCUpd2300820533.msp" /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\AdobeReaderPatch-Install.log"
  • Save the file as Install-Patch.cmd to the C:\Downloads directory & Close
  • Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  • Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  • Enter the following command: Install-Patch.cmd
  • Press Enter
  • Specific Adobe Reader Patches can be found here:

How to Uninstall Adobe Reader DC Silently

Adobe Reader Silent Uninstall Strings (Master List)
  1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  2. Enter the following command:

Adobe Reader DC 23.008.20470 Silent Uninstall

MsiExec.exe /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AC0F074E4100} /qn

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.