Will Your Acrobat Plug-in Still Load in December?
In December 2026 Adobe makes Protected Mode compulsory in Acrobat on Windows (the macOS sandbox became compulsory in October). Plug-ins that cannot run inside it stop working, and the option to switch Protected Mode off goes. We have just made our own Acrobat plug-ins work with it switched on. We can do the same for yours.
Who This Is For
Any organization that relies on an Acrobat plug-in it did not buy off the shelf, or whose vendor has not said it is ready.
In-house plug-ins
A plug-in your own team wrote years ago, where the people who built it have moved on and nobody is sure how it works.
Contractor-built plug-ins
Software a contractor, or Mapsoft, built for you that has run untouched since. If you were told to switch Protected Mode off to use it, it needs attention.
Vendor no longer around
A third-party plug-in your workflow depends on, from a vendor that no longer supports it. With the source code, or the vendor's agreement, it can often be brought up to date.
The $650 Assessment
A fixed price for one plug-in, so you know what the problem is and what fixing it costs before you commit to anything.
1. Test
We run your plug-in in current Acrobat with Protected Mode switched on, and record what fails: file access, registry settings, helper applications, network calls.
2. Review
With the source code, we find each operation the sandbox will block and decide which genuinely needs the privileged broker process Adobe provides.
3. Report and quote
You get written findings and a fixed quote for the migration. Whether to go ahead, with us or anyone else, is then your decision.
What the fix usually involves
It is rarely a recompile. Operations the sandbox blocks move into a separate broker process that Acrobat lets run with full rights, and the plug-in asks the broker to carry them out. Adobe documents this in the Acrobat SDK as sandbox broker extensibility. Our article on the change explains it in more detail.
No source code? We can still test the installed plug-in and tell you exactly what stops working, which helps you decide between repair, replacement or a rewrite.
Why Mapsoft
We have just done this work
Our own Windows Acrobat plug-ins, including TOCBuilder, Bookmarker, Impress and MaskIt, now run with Protected Mode switched on, well ahead of Adobe's deadline.
Acrobat plug-ins for over 30 years
Mapsoft has built Acrobat plug-ins with the Acrobat SDK for more than 30 years, for clients including Network Rail. See our Adobe development services.
Confidentiality
Source code stays confidential. We are happy to sign a mutual NDA before you send anything: download our template or send your own.
December Is Close
Tell us which plug-in you rely on and what it does. We will reply with the next steps for an assessment.