Deleting Adobe files

I am trying to completely erase anything related to Adobe from my Mac. I've deleted what I thought were all the files associated with it, but now I keep getting this error message every time I open Word or Excel.


What do I need to do to completely divorce myself from that clinging Adobe junk?


Mac mini, macOS 15.6

Posted on Nov 23, 2025 8:44 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 23, 2025 8:53 AM

According to the message, Excel is looking for a file that isn't on your Mac. You'll have to figure out why Excel is looking for an Adobe item.


According to an AI response (and elsewhere), the files causing this are installed in Microsoft's folders:


The image displays a "Run-time error '53'" in a Microsoft Office application for Mac, which typically occurs because of an incompatible Adobe PDFMaker add-in.


  • The error message "File not found" indicates that the application is trying to access a file or resource that it cannot locate.


  • The specific file path mentioned, /Library/Application/Support/Adobe/MACPDFM/MacPDFM.framework/Versions/A/MacPDFM, points to an Adobe Acrobat plugin that is often not compatible with newer versions of Microsoft Office for Mac.


  • A common fix involves closing all Office programs and then locating and deleting the Adobe PDF add-in files (e.g., LinkCreation.dotm or SaveAsAdobePDF.ppam) from the Microsoft Office "User Content" or "Startup" folders.


  • If the issue persists, reinstalling Microsoft Office for Mac may be necessary to resolve corrupted or missing files. 
1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 23, 2025 8:53 AM in response to Megantic

According to the message, Excel is looking for a file that isn't on your Mac. You'll have to figure out why Excel is looking for an Adobe item.


According to an AI response (and elsewhere), the files causing this are installed in Microsoft's folders:


The image displays a "Run-time error '53'" in a Microsoft Office application for Mac, which typically occurs because of an incompatible Adobe PDFMaker add-in.


  • The error message "File not found" indicates that the application is trying to access a file or resource that it cannot locate.


  • The specific file path mentioned, /Library/Application/Support/Adobe/MACPDFM/MacPDFM.framework/Versions/A/MacPDFM, points to an Adobe Acrobat plugin that is often not compatible with newer versions of Microsoft Office for Mac.


  • A common fix involves closing all Office programs and then locating and deleting the Adobe PDF add-in files (e.g., LinkCreation.dotm or SaveAsAdobePDF.ppam) from the Microsoft Office "User Content" or "Startup" folders.


  • If the issue persists, reinstalling Microsoft Office for Mac may be necessary to resolve corrupted or missing files. 

Deleting Adobe files

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