FileOpen Plugin For Adobe Reader/Acrobat Troubleshooting FAQ

1) I am having problems with the FileOpen Client installation.

If you have updated Windows 11 to 24H2 and Acrobat/Reader is not starting please refer to this page

Please run this uninstall tool:

http://plugin.fileopen.com/tools/FileOpenUninstallTool.exe

Then try again using this installer: http://plugin.fileopen.com/current/FileOpenInstaller.exe

Be sure to download the installer before running it. That is, when you have a choice between Run and Save, choose Save. Make sure to have all web browsers and Adobe products closed when running the installer. If the installer says that the system must be restarted then please be sure to reboot your computer. After you have installed the plug-in please try to open the following PDF:

installcomplete.pdf.

2) When installing the FileOpen Plugin I get the error, "FileOpen Manager Service could not be installed. Verify that you have sufficient privileges to install system services." How do I proceed?

Please try again using the .exe version of the installer at http://plugin.fileopen.com/current/FileOpenInstaller.exe

3) How do I check if the FileOpen Client has been successfully installed?

Within Adobe Reader or Acrobat navigate to Help > About Third-Party Plug-Ins, if you have successfully installed the "FileOpen Client" should appear as outlined in the images below.

If you click on the "FileOpen Client" dialog then the version information should appear.

4) The FileOpen Client does not show up in ‘About Third-Party Plug-Ins’ and/or I can’t open installcomplete.pdf. What went wrong?

In some cases the FileOpen plug-in will not load in Adobe's certified mode. Please navigate to Edit > Preferences > General > and be sure to uncheck the "Use only certified plug-ins" as outlined in the image below.

Screenshot 2021-03-03 164337

5) I get the error, "The FileOpen Client has failed to initialize. Please follow the instructions at http://plugin.fileopen.com." immediately followed by the error, "FileOpen client has encountered an error. Please restart Adobe Acrobat/Reader." How should I proceed?

These error messages are displayed when a companion process, FileOpenBroker64.exe, is not running. What we want to do is get the broker process running again.

If you have been able to view protected documents until recently, then the broker process was running and has stopped for some reason. The easiest way to get the broker process running again is to simply reboot. If a reboot does not solve the problem, please request technical support.
If you just installed the FileOpen client plug-in and this is your first time trying to open a protected file, then you need to get the FileOpenBroker64.exe running. You will also want the FileOpenBroker64.exe to start every time you log in to the machine. To do this you can create a shortcut to

C:\ProgramFiles\FileOpen\Services\FileOpenBroker64.exe

via

C:\Users\YOUR USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

for launching the FileOpenBroker64.exe at login time. After creating the shortcut you can start FileOpenBroker64.exe manually by double-clicking either on the original .exe file or the shortcut. Once you have verified that the FileOpenBroker64.exe is running as a process in your Task Manager, you should be able to open protected documents for which you have permission. If you encounter this error on a server environment (e.g. Citrix or Terminal Server) please review the guidelines for using the plug-in in server environments.
If you are using Windows 11 you may be able to configure the FileOpenBroker to launch automatically from Start>Settings>Apps>Startup, there should be an item FileOpen Client - Broker with an on/off button. Set this to "On".

6) How do I install and use the trace plug-in?

To install the trace plug-in, please download the .exe installer . Please be sure to download and save the installer before running it. That is, when you have a choice between Run and Save, choose Save. Make sure to have all web browsers and Adobe products closed when running the installer. When running the installer, please select the Trace Plug-in Installation as shown below.

Screenshot 2021-03-03 160441

In some cases the installation process will require a reboot.

After installing the trace plug-in, please reproduce the issue.

This will cause the plug-in to generate the trace file(s). The trace file (or files) can be found in %APPDATA%\Adobe\Acrobat\ <VERSION> \FileOpen\

Please send the trace files that you find to support@fileopen.com.

7) How do I change print settings (ex. double sided printing)?

Adobe Reader/Acrobat has a bug in which it ignores printer settings applied at the job level. These same settings are respected if set as printer defaults. The workaround is to set the printer to print with your configuration choices as printer defaults.

8) Still, experiencing issues after installing the FileOpen Plugin?

This issue may be due to the broker running but missing a component in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for enabling protected mode:

Open Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Hover to the ‘edit’ tab at the top of the application and click on it.
Hover to the bottom of the menu and click on ‘Preferences’.
On the ‘Categories’ Menu hover to the bottom of the menu, locate ‘Security (Enhanced)’, and click on it.
In the ‘Sandbox Protections’ uncheck the following features.

5a. Enable Protected Mode at startup.

5b. Run in App Container.

If you have disabled ‘Certified Mode’ and enabled ‘Security Enhanced’, but still, run into issues, please fill out and send us a support request.

9) Can I view FileOpen protected documents in Chrome?

You cannot view FileOpen protected documents in the Chrome browser, but you can change Chrome's settings so that you open PDF documents in Adobe Acrobat / Reader.

You can set this up by following the instructions below:

Open Google Chrome.
Type: 'chrome://settings/content' into the URL bar.
A 'Content Settings' box will appear.
Scroll to the bottom of the 'Content Settings' box and select 'Open PDF files in the default PDF viewer application' option.
Click on the 'Done' button in the bottom right corner of the 'Content Settings Box'.

**Note: This will open documents in your default PDF viewer application. So you will need Adobe Acrobat / Reader, Bluebeam or Foxit set as your default PDF viewer in order for this setup to work properly with FileOpen protected documents.

10) Can I view FileOpen protected documents in FireFox?

Yes, to display the encrypted files Firefox must be configured so that Firefox uses Adobe's PDF viewer plug-in to display PDF files. You can do so by following the instructions below:

Open up your Firefox menu by clicking on the menu button in the upper left corner of the browser. Then click on options.

Firefox Menu.png

Then select the 'Applications' tab on the left hand side.

Change the 'Portable Document Format (PDF)' Action to 'Use Adobe Acrobat/Reader..'.

Click OK to finish configuring Firefox. You can test your configuration by opening the installcomplete.pdf

11) Is there a FileOpen Client for Foxit Reader?

Yes, the latest FileOpen Plugin for Foxit Reader is available at http://plugin.fileopen.com/new/current/FileOpenFoxitInstaller.exe

12) Where can I get more information on removing the FileOpen Plugin?

See the How to Remove the FileOpen Plug-In page.

1) How do I open encrypted documents on a Mac?

First, you need to have Adobe Reader installed. If you do not have it, visit http://get.adobe.com/reader/ to get the latest version.

Next, the FileOpen plug-in needs to be installed. Before installing the plug-in you need to quit out of Adobe Reader as outlined in the image below.

To download the FileOpen installer for Mac OS 10.9+:

Open FileOpenInstaller.dmg and run the installer inside, FileOpenInstaller-B000.pkg.

Verify that you can open the install complete.pdf test file with Adobe Reader, not Apple's Preview.

If you are using Mac OSx 10.8+ protected documents can no longer be viewed in Safari. The best practice is to open the protected document using the "Open with a Different Viewer" button in Firefox (image below).

And then select Adobe Reader from the resulting Dialog box.

Alternatively, you may download your files to your local disk first and then opening them using the standalone Adobe Reader/Acrobat.

2) How do I check if the FileOpen Plug-in has been successfully installed?

Verify the FileOpen Client is listed as a Third-Party Plug-in within Adobe Reader as outlined in the image below.

3) The FileOpen Plug-in does not show up in ‘About Third-Party Plug-Ins’ and/or I can’t open installcomplete.pdf. What went wrong?

Please check to see if somehow Adobe's certified mode has been enabled. This will prevent the FileOpen plug-in from loading and cause this problem. The checkbox at Adobe Reader > Preferences > General > Use only certified plug-ins MUST be unchecked for proper plug-in operation:

4) Still, experiencing issues after installing the FileOpen Plugin?

This issue may be due to the broker running but missing a component in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for enabling protected mode:

Open Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Hover to the ‘edit’ tab at the top of the application and click on it.
Hover to the bottom of the menu and click on ‘Preferences’.
On the ‘Categories’ Menu hover to the bottom of the menu, locate ‘Security (Enhanced)’, and click on it.
In the ‘Sandbox Protections’ uncheck the following features.

5a. Enable Protected Mode at startup.

5b. Run in App Container.

If you have disabled ‘Certified Mode’ and enabled ‘Security Enhanced’, but still, run into issues, please fill out and send us a support request.

5) How do I install and use the trace plugin?

First, you will need to download our plugin again in order install the trace version. Please download our plugin installer here: link to mac installer.
Proceed as usual install, until you reach the Installation Type step where you will choose 'Trace Installation'.
Finish the installation process by following the prompts.
*Important* Attempt to reproduce the issue that is causing you trouble.
During the reproduction of the issue, a trace file will be generated that will contain more detailed information of what went wrong.
To find this trace file, open a finder windows and go to your finder menu and choose the “Go” Tab from there in the drop down select “Go to Folder” and type the following, /Users/"USERNAME"/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/DC/FileOpen, insuring that "USERNAME" is your username.
Send the trace file with the extension ".txt" to support@fileopen.com

FileOpen Plugin For Adobe Reader/Acrobat Troubleshooting FAQ

Need help opening a protected file? Ask the publisher/sender first.

Windows Troubleshooting