The Pain of Rotating Something in Adobe Acrobat
How avoidable product design decisions enrage users, I mean Adobe can't be asking me to upgrade to Pro just to rotate a PDF right? Right!?
How it started
Today I used my phone to scan a document to upload it to Microsoft OneDrive.
Microsoft saved it as a PDF. Yes, the format that you are no doubt familiar with and still don’t have any idea what the acronym stands for.1
The default program to open PDFs on my Windows 11 machine is Adobe Acrobat. I opened the PDF to view it and noticed the image was sideways and seek to correct it. I never remember the way Adobe may have rearranged their user interface. So, I do what most users do when they are somewhere unfamiliar, I rely on recognition instead of recall. I right click, as this is a common convention that to view a menu of interaction options.
I will reliably assess that a typical user would assume the button with a curved line and arrow would aid in changing the rotation of the item currently in view. A tool tip appears when hovering over the button further explaining that this action will “Rotate page clockwise.” Sounds great. Let’s rotate some stuff Adobe!
Nah I’m not paying for that
My view did not rotate. Instead, the above pop-up appeared imploring me to update to Acrobat Pro which boasts such killer features as “Rotate pages clockwise and counterclockwise.”
After shaking my head, I thought this can’t be true. I got curious and did some searching and found that you in fact can rotate the document in view another way that doesn’t require an upgrade to a paid version.
Navigate to the top-left Menu > View > Rotate View > Rotate view left.
I did it. I rotated a PDF in 2025…and I didn’t even use AI. 🏆💪
Instead, I consumed time and mental resources digesting information I should have never had to in order to learn that rotating a view and rotating a page are different things.
Rotate Pages: This feature permanently changes the orientation of the pages in the PDF file. When you rotate pages, the change is saved, and the pages will remain in the new orientation when you reopen the file^ This is the more easily accessed option, via right-click on the PDF
Rotate View: This feature temporarily changes the orientation of the view on your screen. It does not alter the actual file, so when you close and reopen the PDF, the pages will revert to their original orientation.^ This is available (buried) in the top left menu that has 26 different options broken up into 9 different sections.
Crime Scene Video
User Objective: Make the thing currently in view readable.
Don’t Make Me Think
Yes, these two rotation actions perform distinct functions, but the concern I can’t get over that has led me to write over 1200 words is how many other people have simply wanted to rotate the thing on their screen in Acrobat and were met with this same frustration.
I think of the generic persona using Acrobat, they were likely in a hurry, didn’t necessarily choose to use Acrobat, it was just that the file had a .pdf extension. So, you are already starting off with a user base that is kind of just tolerating you.
All of this sets the conditions for a real easy way to piss off a ton of users—repeatedly. Unfortunately for Adobe, Acrobat is often the only Adobe product a user will ever interact with, potentially souring them on the brand when attempting the most basic usage. Product and design teams should find ways to avoid these unnecessary frustrations that create “pitchforking” scenarios.
Imagine the confusion and rage when users see the nudge to pay for a feature they perceive should be a basic function. I envision variations of “how dare you ask me for money to rotate the page?!” and “the tyrannical hegemony that Adobe wields over the Empire of Documents must end!!!” as they grab pitchforks to start a revolution.
Thoughts and Recommendations
The real mistake here is that Adobe created a scenario that they have two fundamentally different interactions for two similar outcomes, located in very different places. Perhaps some constraint or desire to differentiate the Pro version forced their hand but as a result their users must bear the cognitive burden required to navigate the nuanced fact that rotating a view and rotating a page aren’t the same.
It also smells like dark pattern design when the option that is more readily accessible is the one that leads to a prompt guiding a user to give Adobe money.
Suggested Improvements
Prevent the problem that requires the interaction in the first place.
After a user opens a PDF, before rendering correctly orient the image and let me know you have changed it.
If feasible, allow the right-click menu option to rotate the view and
Warn the user via a tool tip that this won’t permanently change the file, affect all pages or can’t be saved with the free version.
Or only warn them if they attempt to save the PDF after rotating.
In the Acrobat Pro modal add “Don’t need to save it, try rotate view instead” option.
Taking a guess, I bet the rotate view option is more often needed and used than the rotate page option…
Add it to the menu as a quick option
Make room for it by dropping the Print option as it’s already available elsewhere and people have a history knowing where to find print options.
Yes, it’s arrogant for me to assume I know the constraints that led to the current design, but I believe it can easily be improved upon in a few different ways to avoid needless confusion and enragement.
Remember, someone designed it that way
Proper design and usability aren’t the sole responsibility of people with designer in their title. If you think it’s stupid, it probably is. It starts with observing the environment around you. Question stuff. Click on stuff.
Notice the things that make a great user experience that often you take for granted or the poor decisions or lack thereof that make something awful. I often observe a form of learned helplessness around software or urban design that people cynically believe it’s unchangeable or inevitable.
It’s not. It didn’t just happen, someone designed it that way. Go design it better.
Lastly, regardless of your role in building the product make sure to set aside time to actually use it. Ensuring a unit test worked or a scale test didn’t fail isn’t the same as slogging through the user interface clicking on the same buttons and trying to accomplish the same tasks as your users.
Of Course I have Book Recommendations
These are the two books I buy repeatedly for people to orient them on the principles and basics around usability and design. These are super short and nutrient dense. I refer to them like they are religious texts.
Don’t Make Me Think, Steve Krug
https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/
How Design Makes the World, Scott Berkun (
)https://designmtw.com/
Bonus
If you have made it this far, I’ll give you the quickest way to rotate a PDF view in Acrobat on Windows:
SHIFT+CTRL+PLUS = Rotate right
SHIFT+CTRL+MINUS = Rotate left
Of course, I tried to use Acrobat’s AI Assistant to aid me in orienting my view.
It did its best.
Portable Document Format. You’re welcome. May it come in handy at a future bar trivia game.