Fix Error ‘ This File Appears To Use A New Format That This Version of Acrobat Does Not Support ’

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Written By Chirag Arora  
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh 
Published On November 2nd, 2022
Reading Time 4 Minutes Reading

Nowadays, there are uncountable numbers of end users who works with PDF file. Whether they are normal computer users or enterprise users, one requires portable documents in their daily life. A PDF file gets accessible on multiple electronic platforms like laptops, iPhone, tablets, computers, etc. But, sometimes a problem occurs in which users face an error statement while opening PDF file on machine. The error is somewhat like ‘this file appears to use a new format that this version of Acrobat does not support’, which restricts one from further accessing PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Consider a following scenario to understand the actual issue when you cannot open PDF File with Adobe Acrobat:

“I am trying to troubleshoot the Adobe Acrobat Professional 6.0 program for opening a portable document without any error occurrence. Whenever I am opening a PDF file with this application, I am facing an error statement i.e., this file appears to use a new format that this version of Acrobat does not support. However, the alert dialog box is having a message of ‘Do not show this message again’ but, it again comes even after enabling this option. It seems that the document is fine in 6.0 but, the alert dialog box is interrupting some configured things from further proceedings.”

 

This kind of error when you cannot access PDF with Adobe Acrobat which is quite normal at the time of opening new version of PDF files with Acrobat v6 or above versions. The issue does not gets resolved by just disabling the pop-up message but, requires proper technique to fix it. This blog will be helping a person in learning the cause and measures to fix the portable document error.

Problem Cause: “Adobe Acrobat This File Appears to Use a New Format”

There is only one cause of this problem i.e., file compatibility issue. The newer version of PDF file is not compatible with the older edition of Adobe Acrobat Reader due to which this error occurs. Suppose a user is trying to open a PDF file v1.3 in Acrobat reader 6.0 then, this arises the compatibility issue. As a result, one will be facing ‘this file appears to use a new format that this version of Acrobat’ error. The upcoming section will help users in troubleshooting the problem with Adobe Acrobat with proper solution.

Solution to Fix PDF File Error “Adobe Acrobat This File Appears to Use a New Format”

In order to get rid of this Adobe PDF file error, users need to first check the version of PDF file. This PDF file will be the one that is showing error at the time of opening it. Following steps will help users in viewing version of PDF file:

1. Go towards the location where Adobe PDF file is saved and right-click on it.

2. Click on Open With >> Notepad.

3. Entire header part of the portable document will be displayed in which the first line comprises the version of Adobe PDF file

After learning the version of your PDF file, users need to follow below mentioned steps. These will help you in updating the existing Adobe Acrobat reader version of your machine :

1. Open Adobe Acrobat reader on your machine and click on Help >> Check for Updates option.

2. If an Updater dialog box exists then, click on Yes.

3. Now the Adobe reader starts updating itself and once it successfully gets updated, restart your machine. This will properly make changes in Adobe Acrobat reader program, which are done after updating it

Conclusion

Adobe PDF file error ‘This file appears to use a new format that this version of Acrobat does not support’ occurs when you cannot access PDF with Adobe Acrobat. Users need not to worry when they encounter this kind of error as there might be .pdf file compatibility issue. Just apply all the steps provided in this blog properly to resolve the error without any hassle.

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By Chirag Arora

Chirag Arora is a seasoned professional who wears multiple hats in the digital realm. As a Digital Marketing Manager, he orchestrates successful online campaigns, optimizing brand visibility and engagement. Additionally, Chirag brings meticulous attention to detail to his role as a Content Proofreader, ensuring that every piece of content shines with accuracy and clarity.