A Guide to Batch Processing in Adobe Acrobat

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What Is Batch Processing?

Batch processing in Adobe Acrobat allows you to apply one or more operations to multiple PDF files at once, rather than processing each file individually. This is invaluable for organisations that handle large volumes of PDF documents and need to apply consistent modifications, such as adding watermarks, setting security, optimising file size, or extracting data.

Adobe Acrobat Pro provides built-in batch processing capabilities through the Action Wizard, and more advanced automation can be achieved using JavaScript and third-party plugins.

The Action Wizard

The Action Wizard (previously called Batch Sequences in earlier versions of Acrobat) is Acrobat's built-in tool for creating and running multi-step batch processes.

Accessing the Action Wizard

To access the Action Wizard in Adobe Acrobat Pro:

• Open Acrobat Pro and go to Tools > Action Wizard.
• The Action Wizard panel displays available actions and provides options to create new ones.
• Acrobat includes several pre-built actions that you can use immediately or customise.

Creating a Custom Action

To create a custom batch action:

• Click New Action in the Action Wizard panel.
• Choose the steps you want to include from the available categories (Pages, Document Processing, JavaScript, etc.).
• Arrange the steps in the desired order.
• Configure each step's settings (e.g., specify watermark text, security settings, or output format).
• Define the input files: you can select specific files, a folder, or files currently open in Acrobat.
• Optionally specify an output folder and naming convention.
• Save the action with a descriptive name for future use.

Common Action Wizard Operations

The Action Wizard supports a wide range of operations that can be combined in a single action:

• Add Watermark: Apply text or image watermarks to all pages.
• Add Headers & Footers: Insert page numbers, dates, or custom text.
• Optimise PDF: Reduce file size by compressing images and removing unused elements.
• Set Security: Apply password protection, encryption, or permission restrictions.
• Flatten Form Fields: Convert interactive form fields to static content.
• OCR Text Recognition: Run optical character recognition on scanned documents.
• Extract Pages: Split documents into individual pages or page ranges.
• Combine Files: Merge multiple PDFs into a single document.
• Print: Send documents to a printer with specific settings.
• Save/Export: Save in different formats or to specific locations.

JavaScript Batch Processing

For more advanced batch processing, Acrobat supports JavaScript that can be executed as part of an Action Wizard sequence or run independently. Acrobat JavaScript provides programmatic access to document content, form fields, annotations, bookmarks, and more.

Executing JavaScript in Actions

You can add a JavaScript step to any Action Wizard sequence. This allows you to perform custom operations that are not available through the standard Action Wizard steps.

/* Action Wizard JavaScript: Add a custom property to each document */
var doc = this;
doc.info.BatchProcessed = "true";
doc.info.ProcessedDate = new Date().toISOString();
doc.saveAs(doc.path);

Folder-Level Scripts

Acrobat supports folder-level JavaScript files that are executed automatically when Acrobat starts. These scripts can define custom functions, menu items, and toolbar buttons that are available across all documents.

Folder-level scripts are placed in Acrobat's JavaScript folder:

• Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Javascripts\
• macOS: /Applications/Adobe Acrobat DC/Adobe Acrobat/Javascripts/

Trusted Functions

Certain JavaScript operations in Acrobat require elevated privileges (trusted context) for security reasons. Operations like saving files, sending emails, or accessing external resources must be wrapped in trusted functions.

// Define a trusted function in a folder-level script
var mySaveFunc = app.trustedFunction(function(doc, path) {
    app.beginPriv();
    doc.saveAs(path);
    app.endPriv();
});

Common Batch Processing Use Cases

Standardising Document Properties

Apply consistent metadata, security settings, and visual branding across an entire document library.

/* Set consistent document properties */
this.info.Author = "Mapsoft";
this.info.Producer = "Acrobat Batch Process";

// Remove all existing bookmarks
while (this.bookmarkRoot.children && this.bookmarkRoot.children.length > 0) {
    this.bookmarkRoot.children[0].remove();
}

Form Data Extraction

Extract form field values from hundreds of filled PDF forms and compile the data into a summary report or export file.

Accessibility Compliance

Batch-process documents to add tags, set reading order, add alternative text, and ensure compliance with accessibility standards such as PDF/UA and WCAG.

Document Conversion

Convert large collections of documents between formats (e.g., PDF to PDF/A for archival, or PDF to Word/Excel for editing).

Redaction

Apply search-and-redact patterns across multiple documents to remove sensitive information such as social security numbers, account numbers, or confidential terms.

Third-Party Batch Processing Tools

While the Action Wizard provides solid batch processing capabilities, third-party plugins can extend Acrobat's functionality significantly. Mapsoft offers several Acrobat plugins that support batch processing:

• Bookmarker: Batch-create bookmarks across multiple PDF files based on document structure.
• Impress: Apply stamps, headers, footers, and document metadata across large document sets.
• Redact: Advanced batch redaction with pattern matching across multiple documents.

These plugins integrate with Acrobat's Action Wizard, so their operations can be included in custom batch sequences alongside standard Acrobat steps.

Best Practices for Batch Processing

• Test on a small set first: Always test your batch action on a few sample documents before running it on your entire collection.
• Back up your files: Create a backup of your original documents before applying batch operations, especially destructive ones like flattening or redaction.
• Use output folders: Configure your action to save processed files to a separate output folder rather than overwriting originals.
• Monitor for errors: Review the Action Wizard's results log after processing to identify any files that failed or produced warnings.
• Optimise for performance: When processing very large document sets, consider breaking them into smaller batches to avoid memory issues.
• Document your actions: Give your custom actions clear, descriptive names and document what each step does for future reference.

Conclusion

Batch processing in Adobe Acrobat is a powerful capability that can save significant time and ensure consistency across large document collections. Whether you use the built-in Action Wizard for standard operations, JavaScript for custom automation, or third-party plugins for specialised tasks, understanding the available tools and best practices will help you get the most out of Acrobat's batch processing features.