What Is a JOBOPTIONS File?

This file is used by Adobe products to define how a PDF is to be generated

By

Tim Fisher

Updated on November 8, 2022

File Types

What to Know

A JOBOPTIONS file is an Adobe PDF preset file.
Adobe software like InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat, and Photoshop can open one.
Drag-and-drop it into the program. Or, go to Edit > Adobe PDF Presets, or look for a PDF Settings menu.

This article explains what a JOBOPTIONS file is and how to use one on your computer.

What Is a JOBOPTIONS File?

A file with the JOBOPTIONS file extension is an Adobe PDF preset file.

Adobe products use it to define the properties of a PDF file that's to be generated. Some settings it controls include the document's fonts, image resolutions, color schemes, and security settings.

Older versions of Adobe products save PDF presets as files with the PDFS file extension instead.

pdf files black and white — Vectorios2016 / Getty Images

How to Open a JOBOPTIONS File

Acrobat Distiller is responsible for creating PDF files, and so it, of course, can open and properly use JOBOPTIONS files. Also, because PDF support is integrated into Adobe Creative Suite programs, any of those programs work as well, including InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat, and Photoshop.

In Acrobat Distiller, go to Settings > Add Adobe PDF Settings to browse for and select the JOBOPTIONS file. In Photoshop, open it through Edit > Adobe PDF Presets > Load.

Similar steps work with other Adobe tools. You can also try to drag-and-drop the file directly into the program, or double-click the file.

JOBOPTIONS files are text-only files, which means you can also open them with a simple text editor, and probably most web browsers. Using Notepad or Notepad++ lets you view the instructions that the file contains—you won't actually be able to use the file to define the creation of the PDF.

Some JOBOPTIONS files are provided in a ZIP file, which means you must extract the file from the archive before you can use it with an Adobe product. If it's in a different archive file format, and you're having trouble opening it, try using an archive opener like 7-Zip.

How to Convert a JOBOPTIONS File

Older versions of Adobe InDesign uses the PDFS file extension to store PDF presets. This older format can be converted to JOBOPTIONS if you import the PDFS into InDesign CS2 or newer and then export or save it.

Given the niche role of JOBOPTIONS, there's no benefit to attempting conversion to any other format.

Still Can't Open It?

If your file doesn't open with the suggestions from above, then it's likely that you're misreading the file extension, meaning that you don't actually have a JOBOPTIONS file.

One of the closest file extensions to this one is JOB, which can be used for both MetaCAM Nest Job files and Windows Task Scheduler Job files, neither of which are related to PDFs or used with an Adobe program.

If your file has the JOB suffix instead of JOBOPTIONS, it might work with a Metamation program or the Task Scheduler program built-in to Windows.

Task Scheduler related JOB files are stored in Windows at C:\Windows\Tasks, but some programs might use the JOB file extension for their own purposes, like to run scheduled virus scans or auto-update their program and keep the file elsewhere.

OPTIONS is another file extension that could easily be mixed up with JOBOPTIONS. It's used by SE-SOFT's SE-DesktopApps.

More Information on JOBOPTIONS Files

New JOBOPTIONS files that you import into an Adobe product are stored in this folder:

Windows: C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Adobe PDF\
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe PDF\
macOS: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/

We've also seen them in this folder when they're used by Photoshop in Windows:

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop (version)\Required\PDF\Settings

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