Cannot view Page Properties, Reset Tab order

Was your form originally created in Designer? Do you have any scripts associated with the form fields?

It was originally created in Word and converted to PDF. I then made the form using Run Form Field Recognition.

I do not have any scripts that I am aware of. I'm only using text fields and check-mark fields.

Can you tell if you have multiple form fields overlapping each other -- especially the checkboxes that you mention?

I've gone back and removed the overlapping checkboxes. This has allowed me to manually set the tab order, but it is difficult, because there are hundreds of boxes to click through.

I still cannot access the Page Properties to set the tab order. I would much rather set the tab order through Page Properties than manually... :)

In the Page navigation pane, when you select the first page of your form and right-click on Page Properties, is this where the Tab Order is grayed out?

Good news! I can now access page properties!! The only thing I can think of that caused this is that I did not actually select the first page in the page navigation pane, but the space in between the pages. I'm glad you asked if I had the page actually selected.

Thank you-- I now am able to tab order.

Glad to know it worked -- personally I think setting the tab order in Acrobat 8 and earlier versions is very obscure.

I have almost the same exact problem, but all "tab order" areas are grayed out ("Pages / Page Properties" and "Edit Fields - Tab Order".) My form was created in Word, then converted to .pdf. There are no duplicate fields over lapping each other.

Any ideas?

Do you have any security set on your form? Are you able to add form fields?

I checked the security - it's set to "no security." I'm able to add fields and delete fields. I deleted all of the fields and was going to start from scratch, but when I tested the new fields I created, the form still wouldn't let me set the tab order. I saved the file under a different name - still the same results. When the form is converted from Word, the "programming" is stripped, right? Is there a way to delete EVERYTHING - all backend code, any hidden fields, etc then start over with default settings?

You can use the Document > Examine Document feature to locate any hidden content and remove it.
Also, make sure you're not creating your PDF with the PDF/A setting.

It might be helpful if I summarize my experiences in solving (sort of) this issue for myself. (Mac, Acrobat Pro 8)

Options below Navigation Pane > Page Properties > Tab Order will be greyed out when the document has been saved to allow the form to be fillable in Reader. You can check whether this is the case in File > Properties > Security. If you see "Changing the Document: Not Allowed" in the Document Restrictions Summary area then you need to resave the document to remove the restrictions and allow full editing. This should allow you to select any of the four options beneath Tab Order.In my case selecting Row Order got the tab order I was wanting. But for the sake of argument, say it didn't and I wanted to set tab order manually. Selecting Tab Order > Unspecified allows Forms > Edit Fields > Set Tab Order to no longer be greyed out. (As long as both of these are checked: Forms > Edit Forms in Acrobat and Tools > Advanced Editing > Select Object Tool.) Selecting "Set Tab Order" and clicking No gets the numbers to show up.In my case clicking from field to field DOES NOTHING. So this is where I stop being helpful to others and ask, what do I need to do differently to get the manual tab setting to work?