How to clean uninstall Adobe Acrobat Reader DC?

Question

Having to fill a government document I was suggested to install the last version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC on my Mac (10.10.4).

I downloaded version 2015.009.20069 from Adobe server.

This software crashed 3 times on very basic PDF documents. I didn't find anyway to print a document. My root umask is 022 and nonetheless, this software installed in /Applications with a mode of 775 which is a plain violation of my security settings.

Hence I would like to uninstall it. Unfortunatly, there is no uninstaller included with the package installer.

I thought this is because this software was a basic install of just /Applications/Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.app. Just to be sure, I made a fast find of all files arrived on my Mac at the same time and discovered 2083 of them within:

/Library/Application Support
/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/Preferences
/Library/PriviledgedHelperTools
${HOME}/Library/Application Support
${HOME}/Library/Preferences

This isn't exactly what one can name a clean and simple install.

---

Is there any complete and simple uninstaller of this piece of [censored] software?

Answer 1

I didn't find any professionnal answer on the Adobe server. Hence I had to make it.

Here is the shell script I wrote with the help of another tool: Find all files modified around a known one and which I fully tested after an unwanted install (on Yosemite 10.10.4).

Of course, this shell has to be run as root. This is why I added the set -ex to check exactly which command is executed and to exit in the case of any error.

#!/bin/sh

# shell script to clean all files created or modified 
# during the install of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

# exit on error and echo commands

set -ex

# check if a directory is empty
is_empty() { [ -z `find $1/. ! -name . -print -prune | head -1` ] ; }

# rm left empty dir
rm_ifempty() {
        if is_empty $1 ; then
                rm -rf $1
        else
                echo $1 not empty
        fi ;
}

# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# stop and remove daemons

cd /Library/LaunchDaemons

launchctl unload com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist
rm -f com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist

launchctl unload com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist
rm -f com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist

cd /Library/LaunchAgents
launchctl unload com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.*.plist
rm -f com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.*.plist

# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# remove the application

cd /Applications
rm -rf Adobe\ Acrobat\ Reader\ DC.app


# remove system wide preferences

cd /Library/Preferences
rm -f com.adobe.reader.DC.WebResource.plist

# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# remove all Application dependant ressources

cd /Library/Application\ Support/Adobe
rm -rf ARMDC
rm -rf ARMNext
rm -rf HelpCfg
rm -rf Reader/DC

# Reader/11.0 should be kept
# if Reader directory is empty remove it

rm_ifempty Reader

cd /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/
rm -rf AdobePDFViewer.plugin
rm -rf AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

cd /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools
rm -f com.adobe.ARMDC.*

# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# remove HOME dependant ressources

cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe
rm -rf AcroCef
rm -rf Acrobat/DC


# Acrobat/other_versions shoud be kept
# if Acrobat directory is empty remove it

rm_ifempty Acrobat

rm -rf Linguistics

cd ~/Library/Application\ Support
rm -rf CEF

# crash dumps
cd ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports
rm -rf AdobeReader_*.crash

cd ~/Library/Preferences
rm com.adobe.AdobeRdrCEF.plist

# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# remove receipts files

cd /private/var/db/receipts
rm com.adobe.RdrServicesUpdater.*
rm com.adobe.acrobat.DC.*
rm com.adobe.armdc.*

Answer 2

There is a much easier way to Uninstall applications. Macworld.com had written about a product from FreeSoftMac called App Cleaner that does exactly this type of uninstall.

You can also have a look at this similar question: How to Uninstall Qt in El Capitan?

I don't have Adobe installed on my Mac at this time, but I do have software that installed Launch Daemons - Disk Drill - which I am going to uninstall because I am finished with my drive recovery. Below is a screen capture of what it finds and will remove from the system; the arrow points to the Launch Daemon associated with Disk Drill.

Answer 3

I think this will work; about to try it now. I have used CleanMyMac through multiple versions; just installed CMM3 on my new Sierra-running MacbookPro; it does complete uninstalls of programs/applications, so I imagine it will work for Reader. Now all I ahve to do is find Reader 11! (or move it from back-up disk, I guess)