Unfortunately, all too often, that involves exploiting the applications you rely on every day to stay productive. For example, many hackers use vulnerabilities in Adobe applications to gain access to private information, which means knowing how to install Adobe updates is vital for protecting your systems.

However, many people avoid updating Adobe applications because they are unsure about how to check for updates,  which is why we’re going to provide you with a quick guide on how to install Adobe updates.

We’re going to look at everything from conducting manual and automatic installations to remote deployment with a patch management solution so that you can ensure your network is secure.

How to Install Adobe Updates Online 

When installing updates, there are three ways you can do so; through the vendor’s site, through manual installation, and automatic installation.

How to Turn on Manual and Automatic Installation of Adobe Updates Through the Product (Adobe Acrobat) 

You can also install updates directly from the Adobe software you’re using. In the example below, we’re going to use Adobe Acrobat.

In this section, we’re going to look at how to install Adobe Updates from the vendor’s site using Adobe Reader as the example:

  • Open Reader and click Help> About Adobe Reader and note your product version.
  • Go to the Adobe Reader website Downloads page (or the Adobe website for the application you’re using). The page will automatically detect your OS and reader version.
  • If a new version is available, press the Install Now button
  • This will download an installation file.
  • Follow the instructions on the downloaded file to install updates on Adobe Acrobat

Updating Adobe Applications with Creative Cloud Automatic Updates

If you’re using Adobe Creative Cloud apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, or Premiere Pro, you can also install automatic updates through Adobe Creative Cloud. The Creative Cloud desktop apps can automatically update Adobe applications whenever there’s a new version available.

To manually install updates for Adobe Reader, follow the steps below:

  • Open Adobe Reader
  • Click Help > About Adobe Reader
  • Note the version of the software you’re using
  • Close the software
  • Download the latest software for Adobe Reader by clicking on this link, going to the newest installer link, and then clicking on the update available for your operating system

Adobe applications like Adobe Reader and Acrobat are set up for automatic updates by default, so most of the time, you won’t need to configure automatic updates to install new versions of software. Adobe will also send you an alert whenever it finishes installing a new update.

If for whatever reason, you need to activate automatic updates, you can do so by following the instructions below:

  • Open up Adobe Acrobat (or the program you’re using)
  • Click Help > Check for Updates
  • Follow the steps in the Updater window to install updates

Using automatic updates is recommended if you’re managing a single endpoint and installing updates in the simplest way possible.

Install Adobe Updates with a Patch Management Solution 

In scenarios where you’re managing dozens of different IT systems that use Adobe applications, then you’re going to need a more efficient approach to patch your devices, which means you’re going to need a patch management solution. Patch management software allows you to deploy updates to multiple endpoints from a single device.

You can activate automatic updates by following the instructions below: 

  • Open the Creative Cloud desktop app for Windows or macOS
  • Select the circular Account icon and then select Preferences
  • Go to the Apps tab and select Auto-update to turn on automatic updates for all applications. You can also choose whether to turn on automatic updates for individual apps by clicking the box next to the app name.
  • If you want to keep previous versions of apps installed, click on Advanced Options next to the app you wish to retain information for, then check the Import previous settings and preferences option
  • Click Done

You can now deploy these updates to devices throughout your network with a CM workflow.

One example of a patch management solution is Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and System Center Updates Publisher (SCUP). With SCUP, users can import Adobe update catalogs for programs like Reader and Acrobat to devices throughout the network. The process is simple:

  • Open the SCUP console
  • Download one of the Adobe catalogs you want to deploy from this link
  • Click Actions > Import Updates
  • Select Single Catalog, then Next
  • Click Browse and select the catalog you downloaded earlier
  • Select Accept Adobe as a Trusted Publisher > OK.

It’s important to note that many other patch management solutions you can use to install adobe updates across your network.

We’ve listed some of the top patch management tools below:

  • SolarWinds Patch Manager (FREE TRIAL) Supports Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe Acrobat Standard, Adobe Air, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, and Adobe Shockwave. Get a fully functional 30-day free trial.
  • ManageEngine Patch Connect Plus Supports Adobe Acrobat, Adobe AIR, Adobe Flash Player, and Adobe Reader.
  • Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud Supports Adobe Air, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, and Adobe Shockwave Player.
  • Automox Supports Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Reader, Adobe Air, and Adobe Shockwave

You can find out more about other patch management solutions here.

Why Do I Need to Update Adobe Applications? 

Beyond bug fixes and getting access to new features or functions, updating Adobe applications is vital for ensuring no vulnerabilities that attackers can use to break into your network.

For example, in May earlier this year, Adobe released a security update to address the CVE-2021-28550 Adobe Reader vulnerability, which provides an exploit that an attacker can use to execute code in your network arbitrarily.

Regularly installing security updates ensures that your systems are protected against these threats with the latest security patches. That means there’s less chance of a cyberattack breach your private network.

Where Possible, Automate  

Updating Adobe applications doesn’t have to be difficult, as there are plenty of ways you can install updates from online installations. Still, if to manual deployment, automatic updates, and remote patch management solutions. Each of these has there own use case.

For instance, if you’re only managing one device then manual or automatic updates will suffice, but if you’re working dozens of devices throughout an enterprise network, then patch management software is a must to make sure that you don’t have to patch each device manually.

Automating the deployment of Adobe updates where possible will ensure that you not only enjoy the latest features but eliminate vulnerabilities that malicious actors can use to gain entry to your network and steal your personal information.