Most of the programs that can be obtained from Adobe have some method of obtaining updates built into them.This is usually done using the Adobe Updater that is included in many of Adobe’s different software packages. Like any good software developer, Adobe has also made this updater extremely easy to use.

Let’s use Adobe Reader for example. The Adobe Reader program and files can be updated in several different ways and usually depends on the type of update that is involved. For example, if you try to open a PDF document that has Asian font, Adobe Reader will ask you whether or not you would like to download these fonts so that the document can be displayed properly. Other updates can only be obtained by clicking on Help and then Check for Updates, and must be installed manually. This can be done very easily by following the on screen instructions that are provided for you after you select Check for Updates. Other updates can be obtained using either method. Depending on what your preference settings are, Adobe Reader will often just install these updates for you in the background.

If Adobe Reader’s built in Adobe Updater is becoming an annoyance for you, you may wish to change the updater preferences to better suit your needs. To do this, you will need to select Help, Check for Updates and then press on the Preferences link that appears. If you do not want Adobe Updater to check for any updates automatically, you can un-check the top box. However, this is not a great idea as sometimes the updates obtained through Adobe Updater are provided to address security issues with their software. Failing to perform these updates can leave your computer in a state of vunerability.

The best thing to do is to allow Adobe Updater to automatically check for updates and specify how often you would like this to be done, weekly or monthly. Once you have selected this option, you can also decide if you would like the updates to be automatically downloaded or wait until you decide if you would like them to be downloaded to your computer. Either way, Adobe Updater will still prompt you before any updates are actually installed to the Adobe Reader program, or any other for that matter.

The next section in this window will list the various Adobe programs that can be updated using Adobe Updater and using this list, you can check or un-check any of the programs to determine which ones Adobe Updater will check for updates. Finally, you can decide which folder on your computer you would like the Adobe updates to be downloaded to. Most people just use the default.