Using Adobe Document Cloud for Box

Last updated on 19 March 2024

Adobe Acrobat for Box provides an integrated bundle of PDF services, enabling you to perform various operations on your PDFs. It also supports accessibility features such as read-out-loud functionality, keyboard tabbing, and high-contrast support. With this PDF experience, you can:

Open and view PDFs online using Adobe's high-quality web-based PDF previewer.
Convert PDFs into editable Microsoft® Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or RTF files while preserving fonts, formatting, and layouts.
Create Adobe PDFs that preserve fonts, formatting, and layouts. Add password security to the PDF file if necessary.
Edit PDFs by adding or removing text or adding images.
Manipulate existing PDF documents by deleting, reordering, rotating pages, or splitting a PDF into separate PDFs.
Combine multiple Microsoft® files and PDFs into a single PDF, and then compress the PDF file size for archiving or distribution purposes.
Add comments to PDF files using sticky notes, highlights, and a freehand drawing tool for personal note-taking while viewing the PDFs.
Send the PDF documents for signature and track them.

Also, the PDF experience supports dark mode, enhancing the visual experience for users.

Supported browsers

The Adobe Acrobat for Box is supported on all modern browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft® Edge.

Alert:

Beginning October 1, 2021, Acrobat tools will no longer support Internet Explorer and Microsoft® Edge Legacy browsers.

Open a PDF

Open and view PDFs online with Adobe's high-quality web-based PDF previewer. To open a PDF, do one of the following:

Right-click the file, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (web).

If you’ve opened the PDF in BOX preview window, select Open, or Open > Adobe Acrobat to open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat (web).

If you get a permission dialog to grant access, click Grant access to Box.

The PDF is displayed in the Adobe Acrobat preview window. From the top menu, you can add annotations, search for words, download PDF, print PDF, and edit PDF to organize pages, combine files, export PDF to other formats, send your document for signature, and convert to PDF.

A. Acrobat Tools - Convert, Edit, Sign, and More B. Quick tools to annotate the PDF C. Document name D. Search, download, print, and read out loud PDF, Preferences, get help, account settings E. Navigation pane to view comments, bookmarks, pages, page numbers, previous or next page, rotate clockwise, fullscreen mode, zoom-in, or out options

Convert a file to PDF

You can convert Microsoft® Office documents and other supported file formats into high-quality Adobe PDFs that preserve fonts, formatting, and layouts.

The add-in lets you convert from the following popular file types to PDF:

Convert to PDF from	Supported file extensions
Microsoft® Word	.doc, .docx
Microsoft® Excel	.xls, .xlsx
Microsoft® PowerPoint	.ppt, .pptx
Image file formats	.bmp, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff
Rich Text Format	.rtf
Text file	.txt, .text
Adobe Illustrator	.ai
Adobe InDesign	.indd
Adobe Photoshop	.psd
Fill & Sign Form Format	.form

Steps to convert a file to PDF:

In the Box document library, do one of the following:
- Right-click a non-PDF file that you want to convert to PDF, and choose Integrations > Create PDF with Adobe Acrobat.
- Double-click a non-PDF file to open in Box preview. Click Create PDF With Adobe Acrobat in the list of recommended apps.
A. List of recommended applications B. Create PDF With Adobe Acrobat
You may be prompted to sign in to Adobe Acrobat. Sign in with your Adobe ID and password.

If you’ve opened a PDF file in the Adobe Acrobat preview window, selecting Edit > Convert to PDF displays the Box file explorer. Choose the file that you want to convert to PDF and then select the check mark icon.
The file is converted to PDF and saved back to your Box library. Also, a preview of the file is displayed.

Note:

If you select a file to convert from a shared folder of your Box document library, a copy of the converted PDF file is saved to the same shared folder of your Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the converted PDF file is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.

Export PDF to various document formats

You can convert PDF files into various document formats.

Adobe Acrobat performs OCR on PDF files that contain images, vector art, hidden text, or a combination of these elements. For example, it performs OCR on PDF files created from scanned documents. Adobe Acrobat also performs OCR on the text that it can't interpret because the text was encoded incorrectly in the source application.

Note:

OCR is the conversion of images of text (scanned text) into editable characters so that you can search, correct, and copy the text.

The extension lets you export to the following file types from PDF:

Export PDF to	Supported file extensions
Microsoft® Word	.doc, .docx
Microsoft® Excel	.xlsx
Microsoft® PowerPoint	.pptx
Rich Text Format	.rtf
Image	.jpg, .tiff, .png

Steps to export PDF:

From your Box document library, select the PDF file that you want to export, right-click, and do one of the following:
- Choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (web).
- Double-click a PDF file to open in Box preview. Select Open, or select Adobe Acrobat to open the file in Adobe Acrobat (web).
From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, choose Tools > Convert, and then select the format you want the PDF file to export to.
Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.
In the dialog box that appears, do the following:
1. Select the desired file format from the Convert to drop-down menu. For example, for PDF to Word selection, the available formats to export to are *.docx, *.doc, or *.rtf.
2. Select the language of the document you're exporting from the Document language drop-down menu.
Select Convert to [selected format] button.
The selected PDF file is converted to the desired format with the same name. The converted document is automatically saved in the same folder to your Box document library.

Note:

If you select a PDF file to export from a shared folder, the exported PDF file is saved in the same shared folder of the Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the exported PDF file is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.

Edit text and images in a PDF

You can edit text or add images to a PDF file using the Adobe Acrobat app.

Steps to edit text and images in a PDF:

From your Box document library, select the PDF file that you want to edit, right-click, and do one of the following:
- Choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (web).
- Double-click a PDF file to open in Box preview. Click Open, or click Adobe Acrobat to open the file in Adobe Acrobat (web).
Choose Tools > Edit text & images from the Adobe Acrobat preview window. The PDF becomes editable, and the Edit panel opens on the left. If the PDF is generated from a scanned document, the Acrobat app automatically runs OCR to make the text and images editable.
In the edit mode, you can perform the following operations:
You can add or insert new text into a PDF using the available fonts in the Acrobat app.

From the Edit panel, select Text under Add Content.

Drag to define the width of the text block that you want to add.

The Add text tool intelligently detects the following text properties of text close to the point of click:

Font name, size, and color

Character, paragraph, and line spacing

Horizontal scaling

These text properties are automatically applied to the text that you add at the point of click. You can change the text properties using the options under Format text in the left pane.

Type the text. When you add text to a PDF, by default, the Acrobat app chooses nearby font attributes for the new text. Any font not available in Acrobat is substituted when you edit text by a default fall-back font for the particular script.

To resize the text box, drag a selection handle.

To move the text box, place the pointer over the line of the bounding box (avoid the selection handles). When the cursor changes to Move pointer , drag the box to the new location. To maintain alignment with the other list items, press Shift as you drag.

When you edit text, the text in the paragraph reflows within its text box to accommodate the changes. Each text box is independent, and inserting text in one text block doesn’t push down an adjacent text box or reflow to the next page.

From the Edit panel, select Text under Add Content.

Select the text that you want to edit. The text box turns blue upon selection, and a quick menu appears with the following options:

Highlight or Italicise the text inside the text box.

Delete the text box.

Cut, or Copy the text box.

Select all.

The dotted outlines identify the text and images that you can edit.

Edit the text by doing one of the following:

Type new text to replace the selected text, or press Delete to remove it.

Manage list items using the list controls (bulleted and numbered) in the left Format text panel. You can create lists and, conversely, convert a list item to a paragraph or change list types.

Select a font, font size, or other formatting options in the left Format text panel. You can also try the advanced format options, such as line spacing, character spacing, horizontal scaling, stroke width, and color.

Formatting options in the left pane

Select any area outside the selection to deselect it, and start over.

You can move text boxes on a page. The Edit tool outlines each text box, so it's clear what text is affected. Edits are confined to the page. You can't drag a text block to another page or move individual characters or words within a text box. However, you can copy text boxes and paste them on another page.

Resizing a text box causes the text to reflow within the new text box boundaries. It doesn't change the size of the text. As with other text edits, resizing is limited to the current page. The text doesn't flow to the next page.

From the Edit panel, select Text under Add Content.

Select the text box that you want to move or resize.

A bounding box with selection handles surrounds the text box that you clicked.

Do any of the following:

Move

Place the pointer over the line of the bounding box (avoid the selection handles). When the cursor changes to Move pointer , drag the box to the desired location. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to constrain the movement vertically or horizontally.

Resize

Place the pointer over any of the circular selection handles, and drag the handle to resize the text block.

You can add items to a numbered or bulleted list, create list items, convert a paragraph to a list item, and conversely. You can also change list types.

From the Edit panel, select Text under Add Content.

Note:

Acrobat detects paragraphs and lists separately. Therefore, both paragraph and list may appear in the same bounding box while editing. After you save the file, the paragraph and list items are displayed in separate bounding boxes.

You can add or remove items to the list at all nested levels using the same familiar controls that you use in Microsoft® Office. For example, press Enter at the end of a list item to insert a new row. Press Backspace to remove the new row and position the cursor back to the end of the previous list item.

To create a numbered or bulleted list:

Place the cursor in the document at the location where you want to add a list.

Choose the appropriate list type under Format text.

To convert an existing paragraph to a list item:

Place the cursor in the paragraph, and then choose the appropriate list type under Format text.

To convert an existing list item to a paragraph:

Select all items in the list. The appropriate list type is highlighted under Format text.

Click the highlighted list type.

To convert from one list type to another:

Place the cursor in the list item or select all items.

Choose the appropriate list type under Format text.

Note:

Use the keyboard to add a list item. For example, before a paragraph, you can type number ‘a’ followed by the closing parenthesis ‘)’ and then add one space. It adds a numbered list starting with “a)”.

From the Edit panel, select Image under Add Content.

Browse and select the image from the Box document library.

Adobe Acrobat app adds the image to the PDF. You can perform the following operations:

Drag the borders to resize the image.

From the left pane, use the options to

Rotate the image clockwise.

Rotate the image anti-clockwise.

Delete image.

Replace the image with another image.

Organize pages in a PDF

You can organize existing PDF documents by deleting, reordering, or rotating its pages.

Steps to organize pages in a PDF:

From your Box document library, select the PDF file that you want to organize, right-click, and do one of the following:
- Choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (web).
- Double-click a PDF file to open in Box preview. Click Open, or click Adobe Acrobat to open the file in Adobe Acrobat (web).
From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, choose Tools > Edit, and then select the organize pages tools like Reorder pages, Rotate pages, Delete pages, or Split a PDF.
Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.
The Organize Pages toolset appears on the left. Use the + or - button on the bottom right corner of the window to zoom in or zoom out the page thumbnail preview. Do any of the following and select Save changes.
- Rotate pages left, right, or delete them.
- To reorder the pages, drag the page thumbnail to the new location. The pages are renumbered.
- To add pages to your PDF, choose Insert pages, select the + icon where you want to add pages and select the file from file explorer.
- To create a new PDF of selected pages, choose Extract pages, and then select the pages and then select Extract pages button.
- To split the file into multiple pages, select Split into multiple files. Select the divider lines to mark the beginning of different files, and then select Split.
Page-specific commands are displayed when you hover the mouse over a page thumbnail.
To save the changes in the existing file, select Save changes, else select Save a copy. Enter the file name, and select Save. The file is saved back to your Box document library.

Note:

If you select a file to organize from a shared folder of your Box document library, the organized PDF file is saved to the same shared folder of your Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the organized PDF file is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.

Combine files to PDF

The extension lets you convert from the following popular file types to PDF:

Convert to PDF from	Supported filename extensions
Microsoft® Word	.doc, .docx
Microsoft Excel	.xls, .xlsx
Microsoft® PowerPoint	.ppt, .pptx
Image file formats	.bmp, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff
Rich Text Format	.rtf
Text file	.txt, .text
Adobe Illustrator	.ai
Adobe InDesign	.indd
Adobe Photoshop	.psd
Fill & Sign Form Format	.form

Steps to combine files into a PDF:

From your Box document library, select a file that you want to combine, right-click, and do one of the following:
- Choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (web).
- Double-click a PDF file to open in Box preview. Select Open, or choose Adobe Acrobat to open the file in Adobe Acrobat (web).
Sign in with your Adobe ID and password when prompted.
Choose Tools > More > Combine Files in the left pane.
A preview of the file is displayed. From the Combine tools pane on the left, you can perform the following operations:
- Add files: Select to add and then select the + icon next to the desired PDF thumbnail. Choose your file from the Box explorer window.
- Page options: Rotate clockwise, anticlockwise, or delete the file.
- Name your file.
From the navigation pane on the right, you can arrange the files in Grid view or List view. You can also use the + or - button on the bottom right corner of the window to zoom in or zoom out the thumbnail preview.
From the Tools pane, select Combine. The files are combined into a PDF and saved to your Box document library. Also, a preview of the file is displayed.

Note:

If you select a file to combine from a shared folder of your Box document library, the combined file is saved to the same shared folder of your Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the combined file is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.

Fill and sign documents

To fill and sign PDFs, go to Tools > Fill & Sign. The Fill & Sign tools appear on the left, allowing you to complete form fields and sign as outlined in the following sections.

From the left panel, select and then click on the field where you want to add text.
It displays a text field along with a toolbar, as shown below.
Select the text field again and enter your text.
To reposition the text box to align it with the text field, select the textbox and hover over it. Once you see a plus icon with arrows, move the textbox to the desired position.
To edit the text, select the text box. Once you see the cursor and keypad, edit the text and then click elsewhere to enter.
To change the text size, select A or A as required.

Note:

Resize the first annotation you place to fit the check box or radio button in the document, and the next annotations you add will be of the same size and will fit the rest of the box/circle fields.
To change the text color, select from the quick toolbar and then select a desired color from the color palette.

The default color for signatures is black. To change the color of signatures, you must deselect the Keep signatures black checkbox.
To switch to a different input type, select and then select one of the available options like Signature, Initials, Crossmark, and Checkmark.

Hover over the field with the radio option.

It automatically displays the default checkmark or the selected radio field symbol.
Select the radio option field to enter the symbol.
To change the symbol, select the field again, and then from the menu, tap and then select another symbol. It marks the field with the selected symbol.

Create your signature and initials if not already done. To do so:
1. From the Quick action toolbar, select
2. To add a signature, select Add signature. In the dialog that appears, type or draw your signature and then select Done.
3. To add your initials, select > Add initials. In the dialog that appears, type or draw your initials and then select Done.
Note: You may also add an image as your signature or initials. To add an existing image, tap the image icon from the top menu. To take a new picture to be added as your signature, tap the camera icon and follow through with the workflow.
To add a signature:
1. From the left panel, select your signature, move over to the field where you want to add it, and then click there to place the signature.
  Else, from the Quick actions toolbar, select and then select your signature.
2. Your signature appears in the field.
  Note: Once you add a signature or initial to a form and save it, you cannot edit it again.
3. To adjust the placement of your signature, hover over the signature till you see a plus icon, and then click and move the signature as desired.
4. To adjust the size of your signature, hover over the blue circle at the corner, and then hold and drag it as desired.
Caution:

Once you add a signature or an initial to a form and save it, you cannot edit it again. So, when adding a signature or an initial, you see the following warning message.
To add your initials:
1. From the left panel, select your initial, move over to the field where you want to add it, and then click to place the signature.
  Else, from the Quick actions toolbar, select and then select your initial.
  Your initials appear in the field.
2. To adjust the placement of your signature, hover over the signature till you see a plus icon, and then click and move the signature as desired.
3. To adjust the size of your signature, hover over the blue circle at the corner, and then hold and drag it as desired.
Note:
If you want to use an image as your signature or initials:

Sign your name in black ink on a clean, blank sheet of white paper. Sign in the middle of the paper so you don't photograph or scan the edges.

Photograph or scan your signature. If you are taking a picture of your signature, make sure that the page is lit and that no shadows fall across the signature.

Transfer the photo or scan to your computer. Acrobat accepts JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, TIF, and BMP files. You do not need to crop the image. Acrobat imports just the signature if the photo or scan is fairly clean.

Send your documents to get signatures

You can get documents signed by others using the Adobe Acrobat integration in Box, which relies on cloud services provided by Adobe Acrobat Sign. It lets signers quickly sign agreements from anywhere using a web browser or mobile device. Signers are not required to sign up or purchase any Adobe product to sign the agreements.

Note:

Complete your edits before you sign. The signed agreement is certified by Acrobat Sign. Edits to the signed agreement will lose the certification.

Besides PDF, you can send Microsoft® Office files, various image files, and text files for signing.

Document type	Supported filename extensions
Microsoft® Word	.doc, .docx
Microsoft® Excel	.xls, .xlsx
Microsoft® PowerPoint	.ppt, .pptx
Rich Text Format	.rtf, .txt
Image	.bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff

Steps to get your documents signed by others:

Open the file you want to send from your Box document library for e-signature.
Select a file and do one of the following:
- Right-click a PDF file, and choose Integrations > Send With Adobe Sign.
- Open the PDF file in Box preview. In the preview window, click the Send With Adobe Sign app in the recommended applications list.
A. List of recommended applications B. Send With Acrobat Sign
- Right-click a PDF file, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat. Select Sign > Request e-signatures.
Sign in to Adobe Acrobat using your Adobe ID and password when prompted.
In the Send for Signature landing page, do the following, and select Next.
1. In the To field, add recipient email addresses and names. By default, Complete in Order setting is turned on. Enter the email addresses in the order you want the document to be signed. The numbers by the email addresses reflect the participation order. If you do not want to follow any particular order for signing, toggle the switch to Complete In Any Order.
  (Optional) Select Add Me, if you want to be included as a signer of the document.
2. Change the default text in the Message area as appropriate.
  (Optional) If you want to add more people just for information, use the Show CC button to add their email addresses to the CC list.
3. (Optional) Select Password Protect if you require recipients to enter a password to open and view the signed PDF file.
4. (Optional) Select Set Reminder to set the frequency of reminders to be sent until the agreement is completed.
A preview of your agreement opens. The form fields are automatically detected in the PDF. Select the icon to place the detected form fields in the PDF document. Alternatively, drag fields from the tabs in the right pane and drop the fields where desired in the document.

Note:

If you have added multiple documents, the documents are converted into PDFs and combined into a single file. The combined file is opened for you to add appropriate fields.
Select Send. A copy of the sent agreement is stored in your Box document library, and a confirmation dialog box is displayed. You can perform the following tasks from the confirmation dialog box:
- To save the agreement copy to a different location, select Change Destination Folder. In the Box folder explorer, Select the desired folder.
- To track your sent agreement, select Track Agreement.
- To send another agreement for signature, select Send Another.
Note:

The Change Destination Folder option isn't visible if your role is a Contributor to the shared drive.
Note:
If you select a document to send from a shared folder of your Box document library, a copy of the sent agreement is saved to the same shared folder of your Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the sent agreement is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.

If you have a Viewer Uploader permission, the final agreement is saved on the shared location once the agreement is complete (no intermediate copy saved to your account).

View status of the agreements

In Box, the activity stream displays the current status of your agreements. When you open a PDF document sent for signature, the Activity in the right pane displays the status of the agreement like sent for signature, document completion by the sent party and more.

A. Agreement sent for signature B. Status showing the agreement completion

The Acrobat Sign for Box supports a password as a second-factor authentication method for signers.

Set the password option by clicking the Email icon to the right of the recipient email address, and select Password from the drop-down menu.

You will be prompted to enter an alphanumeric value between 3 and 32 characters.

Note:

Signers will not be able to view the document until the password is properly entered

There are a few things to keep in mind when using password authentication:

Passwords are not communicated to the recipient through Acrobat Sign. You must deliver the password out-of-band to ensure security.
When creating a password, use a scheme that you can re-create in the future (in case the signer forgets it).
Passwords are not stored in the Acrobat Sign agreement record. If the password is forgotten, it cannot be recovered.
If a password authentication is failed five times, the agreement will be automatically canceled and the sender will be notified.

Signed PDFs are sealed by default to prevent tampering with the PDF content.

Additionally, a sender can apply a password that will prevent the PDF from being viewed when opened.

This password is a 3 to 32 character alphanumeric value set when the agreement is created:

Similar to authentication passwords, the password is not stored in the agreement records, and cannot be recovered if it is lost. The password forces an authentication when the PDF is opened. The PDF content cannot be viewed until the password is successfully entered. After the password is successfully applied, the PDF content can be read. The basic PDF tamper-proofing security is still in place and will prevent the content from being altered.

When sending an agreement, a reminder can be established for the whole agreement.

This means each recipient will have a reminder assigned to them when it is their turn to sign the document. Only the current recipient is ever notified with an agreement reminder.

When an agreement with a reminder is initially sent, a Please Sign email is delivered to the first recipient. This event starts the timer for the first reminder.

If the reminder is configured to send every third day (for example), the first reminder will trigger exactly 72 hours after the Please Sign email was delivered.

When the recipient completes their action with the agreement, the reminder clock for that recipient is terminated.

In the case where there are multiple recipients, the next recipient in the flow receives a Please Sign email immediately after the preceding recipient has completed their action. The reminder clock starts for the new recipient based on the delivery time of their Please Sign email (not the initial time stamp).

This process cycles through all the recipients of the agreement until the agreement is fully executed.

By default, the signed PDF will be pushed back to the original folder where the original document launched the process. When sending the agreement, the sender has the option to change this default routing to any other folder in Box.

Note: Re-routing a document only applies to the one agreement. This is not a change in the established behavior for future or previous documents.

To change the destination folder of the agreement, do the following:

Click the Change Destination Folder button on the post-send page

2. In the Box folder explorer, choose the desired folder, and click the check mark icon to select.

The post-send page will update to reflect the new path. You can change the path again if required.

Note:

Once you close out the post-send page, you cannot further edit the return path for the signed PDF.

Signer's experience

A signer receives an email with a link to sign the agreement. Signers are not required to sign up or purchase any Adobe product to sign agreements. They can sign agreements using a web browser, mobile device, or Acrobat / Acrobat Reader desktop application. To sign the agreement, click Review and Sign.

Track agreements sent for signature

When you send an agreement for signature, a copy of the agreement along with the audit history is stored in your Box document library. Depending on the agreement status, a suffix (in-progress-Acrobat Sign), (completed-Acrobat Sign), (failed-Acrobat Sign), or (expired-Acrobat Sign) is added to the agreement's name.

To track all the agreements sent for signature, do the following:
From the sent agreement confirmation dialog box, click Track Agreement. The agreement page is displayed in a new browser tab.

Convert your established Acrobat Sign ID to Adobe ID

If you have an established Acrobat Sign ID, you should register for a new Adobe ID using the same email address. After registering, the Adobe database will correctly link your Adobe ID to your Acrobat Sign ID and allow you to authenticate to your existing user account. To register for a new Adobe ID using the established Acrobat Sign ID, do the following:

Note:

No data is lost when you register for a new Adobe ID using your established Acrobat Sign ID.

In the Adobe Acrobat sign in page, click Create An Account.
Use your existing Acrobat Sign ID, fill the requested details, and then click Create Account.
Confirm your email address by entering the six digit code sent to you.

Once your Adobe ID is confirmed, the Send For Signature page is displayed.

Compress a PDF file size

Use the Compress PDF tool to reduce the size of your PDF file. The size of the file is optimized by removing embedded fonts, compressing images, and removing items from the file that are no longer needed.

From your Box document library, select the PDF file that you want to compress, right-click, and do one of the following:
- Choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (web).
- Double-click a PDF file to open in Box preview. Click Open, or click Adobe Acrobat to open the file in Adobe Acrobat (web).
From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, select Tools > More > Compress a PDF.
In the Compress PDF dialog box, choose the compression level as per the desired size and quality and select Compress.

The PDF file is compressed and saved to your Box document library.

Note:

If you select a file to compress from a shared folder of your Box document library, the compressed file is saved to the same shared folder of your Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the compressed file is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.

Protect a PDF

Use the Protect PDF tool to add password security to a PDF. After the password is set, users must provide the password to view the PDF.

From your Box document library, select the PDF file that you want to protect, right-click, and do one of the following:
- Choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (web).
- Double-click a PDF file to open in Box preview. Click Open, or click Adobe Acrobat to open the file in Adobe Acrobat (web).
From the Adobe Acrobat preview window, select Tools > More > Protect a PDF.
In the Protect PDF dialog box, type the password in the Set Password field, and confirm the same in the respective field. For each keystroke, the password strength meter evaluates your password and indicates the password strength. Select Set Password.
Your PDF is password protected and saved to your Box document library. In the preview window, enter the password in the prompt to view the PDF.

Note:

If you select a file to protect from a shared folder of your Box document library, the protected file is saved to the same shared folder of your Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the protected file is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.

Add comments to a PDF

Use the Adobe Acrobat commenting features to write notes to yourself as you view or read documents. You can add comments to your PDF files with text comments, sticky notes, highlights, or the drawing tool. To add comments, do the following:

Note:

When two users view the same PDF simultaneously, adding comments to a PDF will prompt the other user to refresh the page to get the latest version of the PDF.
You cannot add comments or edit PDF files that are secure, protected, or read-only. The commenting and edit buttons are hidden for such files.
You cannot add comments to PDF files from mobile devices using browsers.
The comment pane is visible in the right if you add a sticky note comment, click on any existing comment, or open any file with existing comments.

From your Box document library, select the PDF file that you want to comment, right-click, and choose Open With > Adobe Acrobat (Web).
In the quick tools bar, select the desired annotation tool and choose where you want to place the note. The following comment types are available for use:
- Add comments like sticky note or text comment.
- Highlight, Underline, or Strikethrough text.
- Draw freehand.
Note:

When you use Add Text annotation, the same text is posted as a comment, and appears in the comment pane.

Add comments or text comment

Highlight, Underline, Strikethrough

Draw freehand

When you select any text in the PDF, additional commenting tools are available for use - Add comments, Highlight selected text, Strikethrough selected text, Underline selected text, Copy text.

Note:

If you're logged in, and your subscription includes access to the Edit tool, you'll also see the Edit text option.

A. Add comments B. Highlight text C. Underline text D. Strikethrough text E. Copy text

Adobe Acrobat autosaves the PDF.

Change the look of your comments

To change the color of your comments, do the following:

Select the comment. A pop-up window appears.

Note:

Similarly, you can choose and change the line thickness of the Drawing Tool annotation, and adjust the font size of the Add Text annotation.
Select the color to open the color panel and choose your desired color.

Undo or redo changes

To undo changes, select the undo icon on the toolbar.
To redo changes, select the redo icon on the toolbar.

Edit comments, delete comments, or erase drawing

To edit a comment, do the following:

Select the comment. The comments pane is displayed on the right. From the options (...) menu, select Edit.
To edit the Add Text annotation, select the text comment, and type to make your changes.

To delete comments, select the comment and do one of the following:

The comments pane is displayed on the right. From the options (...) menu, select Delete.
From the pop-up window, select the delete icon.

To erase drawing comments, do the following:

Select the Erase drawing tool from the toolbar, and drag over the parts of the drawing you want to erase.

Frequently asked questions

If you have an established Acrobat Sign ID, you should register for a new Adobe ID using the same email address. After registering, the Adobe database will correctly link your Adobe ID to your Acrobat Sign ID and allow you to authenticate to your existing user account. For more information see Convert your established Acrobat Sign ID to Adobe ID.

Configure your browser by adding Adobe and Google web entries to the trusted sites zone.

From the Tools menu, select Internet Options.
Click the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog box.
Click Trusted Sites > Sites.
Add the below addresses to the Trusted Zone if it is not already added.
*.adobe.com
*.box.com
Close the Trusted Sites dialog box. Click OK.

Note:

Please enable third-party cookies in your browser to use the integration.

Disable the pop-up blocker for Adobe Document Cloud extension or add it to the exceptions list in Safari and Firefox browser.

Firefox

Click the menu button and select Options.
Select the Privacy & Security tab.
Under the Permissions section, do one of the following:
- Uncheck the box next to Block pop-up windows to disable the pop-up blocker altogether.
- Click Exceptions. A dialog box displays a list of sites that you want to allow to display pop-ups. Add the following servers and click Allow, and then click Save Changes.
  - https://documentcloud.adobe.com

Safari

From the Safari menu bar, choose Safari > Preferences and then click Extensions.
Select Pop-Up Windows in the left pane. Click Allow for Adobe Document Cloud extension.

Configure your browser settings to disable the pop-up blocker.

Disable pop-up blocker in your browser settings

Note:

Please enable third-party cookies in your browser to use the integration.

You need to enable the setting for activity stream in the admin console.

In Box, click Admin Console in the left pane.
Click Apps.
Click the switch to enable Box Activity Stream.

If you select a document to send from a shared folder of your Box document library, a copy of the sent agreement is saved to the same shared folder of your Box document library. If you don't have the required permissions for the shared folder, the sent agreement is saved in the home folder of your Box document library.
If you have a Viewer Uploader permission, the final agreement is saved on the shared location once the agreement is complete (no intermediate copy saved to your account).

In the Box Admin Console, select Adobe Acrobat as the default application for PDF files by doing the following:

In Box, click Admin Console in the left pane.
Click Apps in the left pane. In the Default Editors section, choose Adobe Acrobat as the default application for PDF Files.

File name formats mentioned below are not allowed:

The special directory names "." and ".."
File names or files with the following extensions: CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM0, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT0, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9.
File names ending with a space or period.
File names beginning with a period.

If you have not purchased Adobe Acrobat subscription, you see a message "Your current plan does not support premium tools", when you perform any action on the PDF. Do the following to purchase the available Adobe Acrobat plans:

In the Adobe Acrobat preview window, click Edit, and then click View Plans.
A new browser tab opens listing the available plans. Choose the desired plan, and follow the on-screen instructions to purchase.
Go back to the PDF preview tab in Step 1. Click Verify.

After your account is verified you can use the available tools.

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New user?

Using Adobe Document Cloud for Box

Supported browsers

Open a PDF

Convert a file to PDF

Export PDF to various document formats

Edit text and images in a PDF

Organize pages in a PDF

Combine files to PDF

Fill and sign documents

Send your documents to get signatures

View status of the agreements

Signer's experience

Track agreements sent for signature

Convert your established Acrobat Sign ID to Adobe ID

Compress a PDF file size

Protect a PDF

Add comments to a PDF

Change the look of your comments

Undo or redo changes

Edit comments, delete comments, or erase drawing

Frequently asked questions

Get help faster and easier

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Using Adobe Document Cloud for Box

Supported browsers

Open a PDF

Convert a file to PDF

Click here to learn more about file types you can convert to PDF

Export PDF to various document formats

Click here to learn more about file types you can export from PDF

Edit text and images in a PDF

Add new text

Change, replace, or delete text

Move, or resize a text box

Add or edit lists

Add image to a PDF

Organize pages in a PDF

Combine files to PDF

Click here to learn more about file types you can combine to PDF

Fill and sign documents

To fill text fields

To fill radio option fields

To add signature and initials

Send your documents to get signatures

Click here to learn more about the supported file types for signing

View status of the agreements

Second-factor authentication for signers

Password protection for signed PDFs

Reminders

Signed document routing on the post-send page

Signer's experience

Track agreements sent for signature

Convert your established Acrobat Sign ID to Adobe ID

Compress a PDF file size

Protect a PDF

Add comments to a PDF

Change the look of your comments

Undo or redo changes

Edit comments, delete comments, or erase drawing

Frequently asked questions

Why am I unable to login using my Acrobat Sign ID?

Unable to view any file in Adobe Acrobat preview in Edge browser?

Unable to see PDF preview using Adobe Document Cloud app in Firefox and Safari browser

The document does not load in browser?

Why is the updated agreement status not visible?

I am unable to see activity stream for my agreement

Where is my sent agreement saved?

How do I set Adobe Acrobat as the default PDF viewer?

What file name formats are not allowed?

Why does Adobe Acrobat for Box not work for my files?

In the Adobe Acrobat PDF preview, I get a message "Your current plan does not support premium tools". How do I purchase Adobe Acrobat for Box?

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