Acrotray is a process that is part of Adobe Acrobat software . It's a program that allows you to create, edit, and read PDF (Portable Document Format) . Acrotray starts automatically when Windows and remains active in the background. But what exactly does it do? Is it safe? And how do you disable it if you don't need it? Here are the answers to these questions.

What is Acrotray used for?

Acrotray has several functions:

• It allows you to convert documents to PDF from any Windowsapplication, using the “Print” option or the “Convert to Adobe PDF” context menu.
• It allows you to manage the settings for converting documents to PDF, such as quality, security, metadata, etc.
• It allows you to create PDF files from the clipboard, using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+C or the context menu “Create PDF file from clipboard”.
• It allows you to merge multiple PDF files into one, using the context menu “Combine supported files in Acrobat”.
• It allows access to Adobe Acrobat features without having to open the software, using the “Open with Acrobat” context menu or the Acrotray icon in the taskbar.

Is Acrotray safe?

Acrotray is a legitimate and safe process that poses no risk to your computer's security or performance. It doesn't consume many resources and doesn't affect your system's speed. However, malware can sometimes disguise itself as Acrotray to infect your PC. To verify that the Acrotray process you see in Task Manager is indeed Adobe Acrobat, you can follow these steps:

• Right-click on the Acrotray process and choose “Open file location”.
• Check that the file is located in the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\ or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\ depending on your version of Windows.
• Check that the file is approximately 2 MB in size and that it was created or modified on the same date as your Adobe Acrobat installation.
• If you have any doubt, you can scan the file with an antivirus or anti-malware program to detect any potential threats.

How do I disable AcroTray at startup?

If you don't often use Adobe Acrobat's features or if you want to free up RAM, you can disable programs from starting with Windows , including Acrobat. You have two options for doing this:

• Use the system configuration utility (msconfig):
  • Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • Type msconfig and click OK.
    
  • In the Startup tab, uncheck the box corresponding to AcroTray and click Apply then OK.
  • Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
• Use the task manager:
  • Press Ctrl + Alt + Del keys to open Task Manager.
  • Click on the Startup tab and right-click on Acrotray.
    
  • Select Disable and close the task manager.
  • Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about Acrotray:

Conclusion

Acrotray is a useful process for Adobe Acrobat users that allows you to easily create and manage PDF files. In particular, it allows you to convert your PDFs into interactive forms that you can fill out and sign online. It is neither dangerous nor resource-intensive, but it can be disabled at startup if desired. However, be careful not to confuse Acrotray with malware that might be disguised under the same name.