| Version Name | Release Year | Key Innovations | Last OS Support | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Acrobat Reader 1.0 | 1993 | First PDF viewer | Windows 3.1 | | Acrobat Reader 3.0 | 1996 | Hyperlinks, forms | Windows 95 | | Acrobat Reader 5.0 | 2001 | Annotations, JavaScript | Windows 98 | | Acrobat Reader 6.0 | 2003 | 3D content | Windows 2000 | | Adobe Reader 8.0 | 2006 | Shared reviews | Windows XP | | Adobe Reader 9.0 | 2008 | Flash video, PDF Portfolios | Windows XP SP3 | | Adobe Reader X | 2010 | | Windows XP (final) | | Adobe Reader XI | 2012 | Edit text, Fill & Sign | Windows 7 | | Acrobat Reader DC | 2015 | Cloud sync, mobile apps | Windows 7 SP1 | | Acrobat Reader (2023+) | 2023 | AI Assistant, Apple Silicon | Windows 10/11, macOS 11+ |
Added support for Flash video and real-time collaboration via Acrobat.com. versions of adobe reader
Saved files automatically sync to the Adobe Document Cloud, letting users access documents across desktop, web, and mobile environments. | Version Name | Release Year | Key
Available on iOS and Android , this version is optimized for touch interfaces and includes features like mobile scanning and basic annotation. To popularize this new format, Adobe released
To popularize this new format, Adobe released . For many years, the strategy was simple: charge for the software to create PDFs (Adobe Acrobat), but give away the software to read them (Adobe Reader) for free.
Even perpetual licenses are now often handled within the Classic Track, but Adobe's primary focus has shifted to subscription models. The 2020 versions of Acrobat reached end of life in November 2025, while a new "2024" Classic Track version remains available as a one-time purchase for those who prefer it.
Introduced essential tools like text highlighting, basic form filling, and the ability to extract text and images.