How to Install Adobe Reader DC Using Command Line

Installing Adobe Reader DC can be efficiently managed using MSI and MSP files along with command line options. This guide will walk you through the process, including customization and registry key modifications.

Downloading Adobe Reader DC

First, download the executable and patch files from Adobe:

• Adobe Reader MUI executable
• Adobe Reader MSP patch

For example, to have version 10.0.18, download the EXE for version 10.0.10 and the MSP patch for 10.0.18.

Extracting MSI and MSP Files

1. Download the EXE file.
2. Run AcroRdrDC1500720033_MUI.exe.
3. When the installation window appears, leave it active without proceeding.
4. Navigate to the %temp% folder to find a new folder created at the time of launching the EXE.
5. Copy the files from this folder to a new location (e.g., your desktop).
6. Use 7-Zip to extract the Install.bin and RDC.bin files to retrieve the MSI and MSP files.
7. Cancel the Adobe Reader installation.

Creating a Silent Installation

Download and install the Adobe Customization Wizard. Use it to open the Adobe Reader MSI and configure the following settings:

• Disable automatic updates.
• Enable silent installation and disable automatic reboot (/norestart).
• Accept the license agreement.
• Remove the welcome screen at launch by navigating to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\(product name)\(version)\FeatureLockDown and creating a new key cWelcomeScreen. Within cWelcomeScreen, create a DWORD value bShowWelcomeScreen and set its value to 0.

Save your changes to generate a new MST file.

Managing MSP Files

To update to a specific version, you will need:

• The MSI file.
• The MSP file included with the setup.exe.
• Additional MSP files to reach the final version.

Apply the MSP files post-installation to avoid complications, as Adobe does not integrate MSP files directly into the MSI.

Disabling Default Program Prompt

Add the following registry keys to disable Adobe Reader from requesting to be the default PDF viewer:

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\AVAlert\cCheckbox" /v iAppDoNotTakePDFOwnershipAtLaunch /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\AVAlert\cCheckbox" /v iAppDoNotTakePDFOwnershipAtLaunchWin10 /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Installation Command

Use the following commands for the installation:

:: installation of the MSI
msiexec /i AcroRead.msi TRANSFORMS=yourfile.mst /qn

:: installation of the MSP
msiexec /p AdbeRdrUpd11010.msp /qn

https://github.com/DavidWuibaille/Packaging/tree/main/SilentInstall/AdobeReaderDC